


Truth Ache

by Sigmu



Category: Ever After High
Genre: Attempted Matricide, Attempted Murder, BAMF Ashlynn Ella, BAMF Briar Beauty, BAMF Evil Queen, Bullying, Dark, Evil Apple White, F/F, First attempt posting on this site, Gosh these tags make this fic sound darker than it is, Heartbreak, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Terrorism, Internalized Homophobia, Internalized Misogyny, Maybe i'll add another chapter in the future, One-Sided Attraction, Patricide, Poisoning, Raven is exhausted, Truth Serum, Unrequited Love, do not copy to another site, if i get time, insane Apple, though she's not really good at the Evil Queen thing, unrequited rapple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 54,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25449679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sigmu/pseuds/Sigmu
Summary: Raven had been able to forgive Apple for the whole Dragon Games fiasco.But that did not mean that Apple had won back Raven's trust.In desperation Apple decides that the only logical course of action is to ply Raven with truth serumThe answers turn out to be far more complicated than Apple would have liked."I am in love with you." Says Raven, eyes glassy and voice thick from the truth serum. "Romantically."Apple is of course repulsed and horrified. Running out of the room to seek comfort from her friends, only to discover that not only is truth serum a banned substance but it is also a type of poison.This is the story of how Apple discovers that it is she not Raven who is destined to become the Evil Queen.
Relationships: Ashlynn Ella/Hunter Huntsman, Briar Beauty/Faybelle Thorn, Raven Queen & Apple White, Raven Queen/OFC
Comments: 25
Kudos: 85





	1. Raven's Story

**Author's Note:**

> I had an account on FFN but am slowly moving things over to here because it seemed more user friendly. Not really into this fandom anymore and I do have other work that will make any updates slow but I'll try my best.  
> I figured that given the recent bout of plague ravaging the world I could use this opportunity to go down memory lane before I was cursed with chronic pain and longer stories became a lot harder for me to write.  
> For some odd reason I really enjoy writing Insane/evil Apple, I think it's because she's kind of written as someone who keep trying to be good but in the process kind of winds up looking like a bully who only keeps getting out of trouble because she's from a well-connected family with lots of money and the school is located in her kingdom.  
> Like, what would happen if she just kept on escalating in her perpetual need to have a perfect purely ceremonial fairytale succession ritual? What would happen if she was given everything she had wanted and yet none of it was good enough?  
> She's got a lot of power and influence, and she clearly seems to be struggling against some kind of NPD or PTSD from having Snow White as her mother. She acts cute, and she tries to learn from her mistakes, but she always backslides and ends up bullying Raven. Out of all the characters she could cause a lot of damage if she were to ever flip out and that's something i'd like to explore.  
> So this is essentially what would happen if Apple went too far for once, realized that there would be no amount of apologies or pretty speeches to make it all better, and because all of that fairytale training since she'd been a baby has made her a little neurotic, she determines that if Raven isn't the villain, and if good maidens don't do bad things... then what would that make Apple?  
> The real Evil Queen?
> 
> And of course this would all just be in Apple's head. To everyone else her behavior makes no sense because the whole point of fairytales seems to just be ceremonial and all about succession.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

“So what happens now?”

“I-… I-I don’t know.” Raven shakes her head looking up helplessly to the ceiling. There are stars up there, glittering jewels of various sorts affixed to the mirror-polished blue stonework. The ancestor who had designed this particular government building had been more of an artist than an alchemist, but she had made it work despite her lack of formal training in the nuances of how to position the stone just right, with stunning results. An entire alchemist’s star map of the homeland’s night sky, and the gods that lived amongst the stars.

It had been meant to provide guidance and clarity of the mind to whomever gazed upon it. Right now Raven feels as though she could really use a dose or three of that. She can already feel a stress migraine building between her eyes, and the way her stomach has just dropped to the base of her hips she can tell that she just might manage to make herself sick from this.

“And while we’re on the subject we probably also should be asking how this has managed to happen in the first place! Do you think that she’s under another spell, like what had happened back at the Spring fair when we were all in school?”

“No spells. That was the first thing I had checked for… well before she nearly took my head off and I had to hightail it out of there. Whatever has facilitated this change in attitude, it’s all of her own free will.”

“What? To turn herself evil? Seriously?”

Something clicks in the back of Raven’s brain, like a bulb being turned on and flooding the room with light.

With a heavy sigh the witch sinks down to the floor, her warm wool and silken skirts fanning out around her form in an array of white, silver, and pale periwinkle.

“My King!” The prime minister gasps, rushing to her side, along with the other politicians and allies in the room. There aren’t many present but that’s because everybody else is outside and focused on gathering more intel and sounding out the warning.

“I am fine Mayweather. It is not ill of health that brings me to my knees, but rather a suspicion that has come to my mind just now. A suspicion I do so hope turns out to be false.” Raven nods as regally as she can to the elected head of her people’s republic, fatigue weighs down on her bones like a thick covering of snow, and all she wants to do right now is hibernate until the spring- until this crisis solves itself for once.

“Then you have an idea of why Ever After’s head monarch has… taken leave of her senses, your grace?”

Mayweather has always been a rather perceptive warlock… as far as politicians go, at least with him there her people won’t have to fear of a complete imbecile as their elected representative on top of everything else.

Raven glanced back up at the ceiling. “In my home tutoring days as a child I was tasked to read the advice and key observations of several ancestors of mine. Given my struggles in the confusing art of villainy my tutors had selected the lifeworks of those ancestors who also had similar difficulties in the hopes that I might gather a clearer understanding. I just…”

The witch shook her head, looking down to toy with her skirts, feeling every bit like the child she still was. “I just remember a quote of one of the Queens from… oh I think it was three hundred years ago? She… didn’t have much recorded for her descendants to freely analyze her life, but she had made an observation that had stood out to me, and confounded me a great deal. You see, she seemed to be of the belief that “ _some of the most villainous maidens one has ever met, the ones who aren’t even destined to be villains in the first place, were the princesses who had not been saved in time_ ”… I… for the life of me I cannot remember her name but… maybe based on her hinted observations of her own princess… perhaps it might be the same madness which plagues this one.”

“I could be wrong.” She looks up to the adults who are far more qualified than her at this job. “I- we haven’t spoken a word to each other since… well since our falling out back in school, so I haven’t the foggiest idea of how her mind works now.”

Vice-stone, the Director of Defense kneels down to one knee so that they are eye to eye. “Your Grace, anything you can tell us will help in our investigation of this situation. You alone have a wealth of knowledge that could be valuable to how we may proceed.”

“But-… Where do I even begin? There is just so much!” Raven began to despair. “How do I even start? She-… she used to confuse me so much!”

“Think back.” The man urged gently, the quiet strength of his tone making the young witch want to grab hold like a frightened kitten. “Was there ever a time where you noticed her acting- if you will forgive the pun please- out of character? Even a little bit.”

Raven winced guiltily, looking over to the three others in the room that knew, who understood all the unspoken things in her knowing gaze, and those who looked back with the same expression as hers. “There is… there… was a time where she had definitely not acted like a… maiden. It had been what led to our falling out and… I guess you could say… that she was near unrecognizable from the girl I thought I had known in that moment. She-… she frightened me. I have done everything in my power since to move on and completely forget about her.”

“I am sorry your Grace.” He touches her shoulder lightly, turning her focus back to his intelligent grey eyes and short silver hair, conveying alpha leadership despite his attempts to soften his body language. But then again most of the older werewolves and vampires in the high positions of her kingdom’s royal court tend to dote upon her like a favored niece or the pup of the ultimate alpha couple (her mother and father). Respected, but still far too young to need to act like a complete adult in their presence. That expectation would not happen for several more decades at least seeing as how they had all seen her as a baby.

“We are sorry.” Vice-stone revises looking around at the other adults. “But we must insist on intruding in these memories of yours, no matter how painful. We must know what you know so that we may defend our people, and maybe even stop this mess in its tracks before it gets out of control.”

 _Because the prejudiced bastards from the other realms aren’t likely to come to our aid, just like they had all dismissed us away before_. His eyes read. Because Raven has heard this type of ranting from him before.

“Tell them.” Faybelle encourages from the side, holding Briar’s hand for all she’s worth. “And then we’ll tell our versions too, since we were there.”

“My father-… I don’t know if I can talk about it while he’s in the room.” Raven flushes with shame.

“I’ll distract-y talk ‘im.” Maddie whistles while heading out. “I need to talky to paper and ink the lines to give sound meaning anyway.”

“…What?”

“She’s going to need time to translate her native tongue into a format you all can understand.” Raven translates, squinting uncertainly. “…That or she’s going to start blackmailing officials in Ever After to lessen the danger of the situation themselves. It is very hard to tell which.”

It actually turned out to be both.

XXX

_There are always risks you take when you lie to yourself,_

_There are some truths of who you are as a person that cannot be ignored,_

_It is like attempting to give up breathing,_

_Or eating,_

_Or the concept of gravity,_

_To stay strong against passing out, starving, or falling off a very high cliff, you must know every aspect about yourself as an air-breathing, hungry creature who was not designed to jump off random things and soar through the skies with no wings! And accept everything as truth. Then live life accordingly to your own interests._

_To go against fundamental truths about the self would be inviting self-destruction._

_To lie to yourself about very important things invites illness of the mind._

XXX

The last year of High School for Raven had been… pretty bittersweet. On one hand she had managed to gain the respect and acceptance that she had always longed for from her peers, even those who didn’t agree with her rebellion at least did not run away screaming from her now, and she had finally been allowed to take the classes that she _actually wanted_ to take, and her grades flourished as a result!

The downside on the other hand was her romantic life and… Apple.

It had hurt a fair bit breaking up with Dexter, but at the end of the day… well… life… happened. They didn’t spend more than a few phone calls in contact with each other over the summer, which to be fair had been mostly Raven’s fault since a byproduct of turning Rebel meant that she was suddenly, immeasurably free to get sucked into her own two kingdom’s affairs and business as the future monarch, the people were rejoicing in the streets with hope that she might possibly be able to help lead them out of the crisis that her mother had left them in, and… well, all around, suddenly finding herself in high need by so many, and the responsibilities that were laid out into her foreseeable future were both incredibly daunting, as well as exhilarating.

Even as a Rebel Raven had always known that her first and foremost responsibility was going to go towards properly serving her people, the way that her government was set up meant that the place couldn’t just run itself and that the people would be needing all the help that she could fight for in their place. Since her mother’s… colossal meltdown, foreign relations and trade plummeted to almost devastating lows, to the point where she had been in serious danger of being forced to give up the throne after Apple’s story (and it really seemed to be only _Apple’s story_ these days, not really _their_ story) just to survive! Granted it wouldn’t be easy since there was a major stigma against countries going without monarchy, but with the Rebel Movement Raven had at least been ensuring that if relations and trade didn’t come from the other fairytale countries, then it would come from the non-fairytale countries, who never really did like fairytales to begin with.

That summer however, trade and friendly relations had blown open wide and proud, which had left Raven deliriously busy, and… again, not enough time to spend with the boy from the kingdom that was half the continent away, and who was not doing any professional business with Raven’s homelands at that point in time (because there were fears that a certain “fair queen” might have thrown a fit about it if she knew a certain Charming clan was fraternizing with the enemy).

Aaand it didn’t help things when they both met back up for the new school year only to find that they both had some _very_ different ideas as to where their futures together were headed.

“ _Trade relations?_ ” Dexter had seemed incredibly perplexed over such a simple answer to his question about whether or not she was ghosting him. “ _What were you doing negotiating trade relations? Don’t you have… you know; **people** , who take care of that for you?_”

That was just about where Raven was given an intense, sinking feeling about how the conversation was headed.

“ _No… we have aides to help us but for the most part it’s just me and my father. Your kingdom doesn’t trade with us so there wasn’t any justifiable time for me to meet up with you this summer_.”

The boy blinked slowly, as if he was having trouble understanding what Raven had said. “ _Well then if you are doing that job then where has your trades and foreign ministers been all this time? They should be the ones to do that job not you! It sounds like they’re slacking off big time!_ ”

Raven paused to choose her words carefully.

“ _Dexter… in both my home countries it is the ruler’s job to establish relationships with other nations and keep up good trade and foreign relations. Without mom around it’s up to me to help my papa with ruling the kingdoms whenever I have the time to do it_.” Raven explained slowly. “ _What else am I supposed to do? I’m the apparent heir. I need to do my bit to get things back up and running again. My people need me_!”

“ _Well… why don’t you try to hire a minister to do that job for you? I-I mean it’s nice that you’re getting so involved with your kingdom… and everything… but… what about us Raven? How are you supposed to keep up with your friends and… me if you’re… off doing somebody else’s job? Maidens shouldn’t be- but they can! And you obviously are very good at this kind of work- I mean-… we’re royalty Raven! We- we rule kingdoms; we don’t take on jobs that other people are… more adapted for_!”

It was often easy to forget that the school was filled with children from different monarchy family lines with completely different ways of governing kingdoms, in this instance Raven was thrown for a loop so fast she needed a moment to orient which way up was from down.

“ _R-Raven…? Why do you look like I just said the wrong thing? Like… a really, really wrong thing_?” Dexter had whimpered meekly, and Raven was reminded that she really was speaking to a genuinely kind boy, and that he didn’t seem to mean what he had just said in any malicious sort of way.

“ _Cultural gap Dexter. I believe we’ve stumbled upon… a lack of cultural understanding_.” Raven breathed out slowly. “ _Culturally… my kingdom’s government is run vastly different from yours or Ever After’s. Please allow me to explain_.”

And she did, it took the better part of half-an-hour with still more to go, but all conversation stopped when Dexter, overwhelmed, held up his hands as if begging for a moment’s reprieve.

“ _How- Raven- just… how are we supposed to work out? From what you have just told me… we’d have to wait years to get married and for you to become my queen after high school_!” The boy blurted out, utterly distressed.

“ _Your what_?” Raven demanded a little more sharply than what was necessary.

At that the boy froze, seemingly he had stopped breathing.

“ _I, ah ummm… I said that out loud didn’t I_?” His voice held a distinct squeakiness to it. “ _Ah… a bit too early in the relationship for that kind of talk_?”

“ _Ye-ah_ …” Raven’s face formed a slow grimace.

“ _So… if I were to say that I had, ah hoped that the two of us could… one day- er no I’ve already stuck my foot in my mouth_ -”

“ _No! do go on. It’s not like this can get any more… wonky, than it already has_.” Raven sighed mostly out of frustration and sarcasm.

Dexter obviously hadn’t caught on to the sarcasm part. “ _S-so if I was to tell you that I’ve been talking to my parent’s advisers about maybe making you the queen to my kingdom when I become king- y-you know bec-ause Daring and Rosabella, and Darling with her knighthood and- and-…”_

The boy instantly shut up when Raven visibly deflated.

“ _It was a kind thought at least_.” Raven volunteered with false cheer.

“ _So… way too soon_?” Dexter fidgeted.

Raven nodded. “ _Much too soon. And… much too impossible given my duties to my lands I’m afraid_.”

“ _S-so you’re choosing them? Over me? Over- over your freedom_?” Dexter winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

Raven sighed again. “ _I always have Dexter, even when I rebelled I was putting my people’s best interests first, along with my dreams. As a… future ruler, to another future ruler… I do hope that you can try to understand what it’s like, constantly balancing the two_. _Being your own person but with the responsibility of millions of lives hinging upon your actions._ ”

He had, the sweet boy, she was grateful for his support and continuation to be an ally of hers, even as she sulked at her first real taste of where kingdom needs must come first… as well as feeling guiltily grateful that she had a decent excuse that would satisfy Dexter in why she had just terminated the relationship, even without the kingdom… she didn’t exactly like having her whole future mapped out for her behind her back… even if it was both the norm and the expectation in a school like this one.

But at least they had remained friendly with each other, which was a victory in of itself!

In stark comparison her situation with Apple… had remained complicated. It never really even got resolved now that Raven thought about it. One moment there was something there and the next it sort of… fizzled…

Raven had always found Apple attractive in a romantic sense, even going so far as her feelings being developed into a sort of one sided love (which made being her roommate almost too insufferable and awkward to bear at times), however Raven knew that Apple would never even entertain the notion of considering Raven (or anybody who wasn’t a human prince from a certain family line) in that light, let alone be able to comprehend that a girl was in love with her! So Raven had focused on being Apple’s friend and keeping things… cordial between them while their conflicting forces of will clashed over what each of them thought was right or the best for their futures (aka: The Rebel versus Royal conflict).

Which had destabilized a great deal in the wake of Apple letting Raven’s mentally unstable mother loose… and had never really been resolved even though Raven did find it in herself to forgive Apple. Of course she could forgive the princess! After all, when it came to fairytales Apple was just too terrified to even consider one single detail being out of place (and never dared ask questions like: what happens after the story was over? Or: what does being a queen _actually_ entail?), more often than not it always appeared that Apple was desperately clinging on to this hope that once the story was completed to her specifications… she’d never have to worry about real life and the scary things that happen in it ever again.

And Raven could forgive Apple for that, just like she’d forgive a caged animal for taking one look outside it’s open gate door, and then running back inside and hiding under its bedding. Apple just… did not harbor the skills nor the understanding to be anything but… a _princess_ , who does nothing but smile and host fancy parties all day. It was heartbreaking, and it really did hurt Raven to see someone with such academic intellect, and clever potential to just… lie down and take it. But it seemed to make Apple happy so who was Raven to push the reality check too hard? Raven just didn’t have the heart.

However, while Raven could forgive Apple, and love her all the same, **_the trust_** that the two once shared was completely obliterated. If Raven couldn’t trust Apple to do something as simple as to _not let the Evil Queen out of her prison_ , even if it was just the once and the princess had learned her lesson, then Raven couldn’t trust Apple with anything. At all. Period.

Apple, of course, not nearly as stupid as she pretended to be, sensed this, tried every method that she could think of to mend it, make it all better just like it had been before… and by the time final year rolled around she had grown… pretty discouraged. For Raven still acted like a good friend to Apple but could not bring herself to easily trust Apple with any information about herself, even details about her classes were something that Raven found herself slowly thinking over and politely, but firmly, censuring to the princess.

The summer before senior year Apple got fed up with Raven’s “sparse” and “infrequent” phone calls (though in reality Raven had made sure to call Apple every other day, while she only called Dexter at most once a week), and promptly summoned Raven at regular intervals back to Ever After for a party or a sleepover (and once a camping trip! That entailed less camping and more staying in a fancy log mansion and had no tents or outdoor fire pits involved…), all very lovely, and a nice break from all the work Raven was doing catching up on her realm’s affairs.

Yet… it was just that: _parties_. And a whole lot of Apple dragging Raven around to fancy places on a whim. That’s it. There was no soul searching, nor anything that Apple was willing, _or able_ , to give back to Raven- short of the princess’s “ _word_ ” that she held full acceptance of Raven not becoming her villain- in order to properly repair what had been lost between them.

It could take years before they were back on even ground, Raven knew this and was willing to wait, to try to heal things naturally, and really work at it. It was the only way that they ever could repair the damage brought by that hellish week. It pained Raven that their relationship had hit this all-time low, but at the same time she still felt far too raw and vulnerable to start trusting Apple with anything. So for right now they’d have to wait. And see what came next.

Apple… had not wanted to wait and see. She wanted- no, she _needed_ a quick fix to their friendship stand-still situation. To get all the answers to how they could fix things up right away and make it better than new, for Raven to trust her again, and for Apple to get past… this awkwardness between them!

Well Apple knew that she had messed up big time, knew that she had hurt Raven pretty badly, that _trust_ never really did come easy to Raven, that it took forever to gain and very few people ever achieved complete trust in Raven’s heart. And that made Apple feel downright horrible! Raven had not known at the time but Apple had… a sort of severe phobia to failure, guilt over messing up, even the slightest bit, was just about the scariest thing in her life right beside not being in a story! In her princess training she had been raised on the fact that she could never mess up, she had to be perfect. Bad enough she was born of the wrong coloration, but to not act like a perfect Snow White? Inconceivable! Failure was never an option.

Failure led to the uncertain darkness found at the bottom of wells, were no one could hear you scream and you were cold and wet and hungry and alone.

Forever.

This though, this knowledge that she couldn’t get back what they had overnight with a simple apology was nearly overwhelming her with guilt!

She was the fair princess of Ever After; she just wasn’t… used to being wrong! Or having to face long-term consequences… everything in Apple’s life had been carefully laid out for her since birth, so long as she followed the plan life was… mostly pretty predictable, and boring, but it had also been familiar and safe. Raven had never really been predictable or boring, yet in the turmoil of the uncertain Rebel movement, Apple had found a type of solace in her friendship with Raven, a sort of safety net because Raven proved that she would do anything to ensure that Apple would land on her feet, and for some reason Apple adored the thought of having close ties to the Evil Queen’s daughter, nothing was scary as long as Raven was around! Not even Raven’s Rebel tendencies!

Except for that moment in time, for not only had Apple felt immensely guilty and sad for a loss of Raven’s trust… she was also, very, very scared, because she had failed Raven, and it wasn’t easily fixable, and as the weeks and months flew by since the Evil Queen had been set loose, Apple’s ability to keep her old phobia in check flew out the window.

And that was what led to Raven discovering that Apple had poisoned her coffee with truth serum.

Of course Raven hadn’t suspected at first that she had been dosed up, part of the drug’s effects was that it made the brain pretty muzzy, and unless you were made aware of someone specifically giving you truth serum, the sort of muddled high one’s mind was left in made it slow to attune to there being anything wrong. And if done right, by an expert, or someone who knew bodies, and poisons, _and_ people’s minds very well, the intended victim wouldn’t have even noticed anything at all, just slept it off and forgotten about it.

One important thing to keep in mind though was that truth serums, of _all_ formulas, were at their base a poison. They were _toxic_ to one’s body, and had to be administered with this in mind, because most people who used it just wanted answers, without causing irreversible damage to their target’s body.

That and the wrong dosage, added with suspicious behavior, could tip the target off to the fact that they had just been dosed.

Which was the conclusion that Raven had come to about fifteen to fifty (time did not compute correctly in drug-addled brains) minutes into answering Apple’s first question, which Raven was still admittedly fuzzy on the exact phrasing Apple had originally used, but she was pretty certain that it had gone along the lines of:

“ _How can I make you trust me again?_ ”

And…

“ _Why do you hate destiny so much anyway? Would it really be so bad to become my villain?_ ”

Now Raven had always intentionally kept certain, _sensitive information_ , pertaining to these two questions a secret from Apple, don’t get her wrong, the witch had always been truthful in explaining why she didn’t want to become a villain and why she was being so distant to Apple lately… it’s just that she also had very good reasons for not telling the princess the entire truth. Mostly because of 1) It involved topics and cultural differences that Raven felt Apple was not ready to hear about, let alone handle calmly, 2) They involved the continued safety and wellbeing of Raven’s people and despite Apple being her friend, she was still a **_foreign_** heir to a monarchy that held the power to cripple Raven’s homeland stability with little more than a snap of her fingers, and that was never something to be sneezed at, no matter how nice of fair Apple was, and 3) …There was also the little matter of Raven’s still ongoing… _feelings_ towards Apple…

And Ever After royalty were never really… well known to be particularly sympathetic to the wrong breeding stock or the wrong breed… or the wrong non-breeding stock… falling in love with them, or their family members.

Raven was still pretty loopy on which of the three major things that she had always been careful to _never_ talk to Apple about had done it, or if she had indeed gotten through all of them, but as the witch’s poisoned mouth continued to speak Raven noticed that Apple had been reduced to hysterical tears.

“- _and I’ve been poisoned by truth serum haven’t I? You do know that it’s a banned substance right? It’s difficult for me to grasp how much I’ve told you_ …” And that was where Raven seized up. Apparently Apple had dosed her with the type of serum that acted as a paralytic if the subject began to panic. Very useful for enemy interrogations… however at the moment Raven was more concerned with trying to unlock her diaphragm muscles so that she could breathe, to be pondering why Apple had decided to use one of the more aggressive serum variations.

Apple had said something then, Raven knew that it was probably important, but at that moment the witch had been so lightheaded that all she could hear was her straining heartbeat attempting to flow blood through her oxygen-starved brain, and immediately, almost on instinct, let go of all other distractions, and consciously let her muscles go limp until she could once again gasp in much needed air into her greedy lungs. Something flew past her head but had missed it by a good foot or two, not that Raven was able to pay much attention.

The door slamming had caught Raven’s attention. Apple had left, which was probably a good thing since her body seemed to unconsciously relax even further, giving her enough awareness to reach for the nearest phone, stagger out of the dorm to someplace where Apple wouldn’t find her so easily, and call for help. Dialing a random number (really at this point _ANYONE_ would have done) and pleading for help the second she had heard whoever was on the other side inhale. Managed the bare minimum they needed to know, which as that she’d been poisoned.

It was difficult to hear the responding voices since her skyrocketing adrenalin and heartrate had made things difficult to hear again, it was more important that she focus on not blacking out. It was important that she not black out while on this drug! Though she was hard-pressed to remember _why_ at that moment.

“ _Hard t’ b-breathe_ …” Raven sighed into the mouthpiece, scooting down to lay flush to the cold stone floor at the base of the south-secondary entrance to the dorm’s upper floors.

 _Perfect_. Nobody ever used these stairs. Apple may not be able to hunt her down… but then again that may also hold true for rescue.

Best to just relax and breathe. But not to fall asleep, something bad may happen if she were to fall asleep.

There were voices on the line, not talking to her, but panicked and speaking rapidly. Raven felt comforted even as she focused on trying not to think about being poisoned in the first place. Rescue would come. Eventually when she calmed down enough she’d speak again.

But now that she got a better look at her surroundings, she had also noticed that her phone wasn’t her phone at all, Apple must have forgotten to take hers along, and Raven had picked it up by mistake.

“ _Huh!_ ” Raven mused shallowly. Well a phone was a phone, being able to call for help, by literally anybody was key, thus the witch was content not to feel too guilty about it.

Until said phone began ringing, face-time, caller ID said MOM.

Crap.

Raven ignored the queen’s calls for the first three times, before resigning herself to answering on the fourth. If the woman was calling so much it must be urgent.

“ _Apple sweetie we need to discuss a few alarming things about these school polls- Raven?_ ”

“ _Appl’ fr’gt phone.” Raven swallowed relaxing her muscles. “I’ve… been poi-soned. Send… help? P-pleash_ … _?_ ”

“ _Poisoned?_ ” The queen sounded incredulous. “ _Someone poisoned the Evil Queen’s daughter?_ ”

“ _Yesh_.” Raven gasped. “ _I’ll… I need to… stay… awake… and calm… or else… hurts t’ breathe_ …”

“ _My that does sound rather serious!_ ” The woman blinked, still clearly mystified. “ _Will you be able to shake this off shortly to give Apple her phone back?_ ”

“ _No!_ ” Raven gasped, tears pricking her eyes as another wave of paralysis overcame her. Leave it up to a Snow White not to take an emergency seriously…

“ _I-… could… die_ …” If Apple had used the wrong dosage, had mixed the wrong ingredients, if she had a drug-induced heart attack… _CALM DOWN_!

“ _I don’t know_ …” Raven sighed after a moment of getting herself back in order. “ _What she used… in the serum… I can’t panic. Or else… my heart might stop_.” That is if she didn’t pass out and immediately relax all of her muscles first, but if Apple did not get the dosage just right Raven’s heart may stop altogether if she lost consciousness and her muscles did not immediately go lax.

“ _Oh_.” Snow White’s surprise was palpable, clearly the woman was at a loss of what to do. “ _Well… just relax then, I’ll have someone call the Headmaster to help go find you_.” And with an audible snap of the woman’s fingers Raven knew that someone was already doing just that. Which was… oddly comforting in its own way.

“ _So, ah… how is your mother dear?_ ” Snow White asked after a few minutes of awkward silence on her end, calming peace on Raven’s, not knowing what else to say.

“ _I got her to… finally talk to me… about her mental… disability… clouding her ability… to act as a true… Evil Queen should_.” Raven replied immediately through gasping breathes, and she would have started freaking out all over again had it not been for the hilarious moment where Snow White had gaped like a fish at her.

And so it went; under the serum’s influence Raven proceeded to listlessly answer all of the queen’s questions towards how her mother’s method of Evil Queening differed from the classical, _proper_ approach, which was seen as the correct path of going about it according to _true_ family tradition. Because it was a ceremonial honor to help ensure the next heir to the White clan ascended the throne safely, not a complete lifestyle choice. Traditionally Evil Queens were very protective of their fragile human charges, and normally it would be an older Evil Queen who took up the mantle for two or three generations of Snow Whites before rigorously training their daughters to look after a Snow White. It was almost unheard of until Raven’s mother’s generation for an Evil Queen’s paired charge be of the same age as them, discouraged even unless the circumstances were extreme because the Evil Queen was supposed to teach their princess the sacred histories and secrets intertwining their two clans, but Queen family witches didn’t learn that stuff until after they were coronated so it had skipped her mother’s generation and Raven was still in the process of learning so it wouldn’t be until Apple’s daughter came of age that Raven would be able to follow any kind of proper tradition if she so chose to.

Raven was going to feel guilty about that later, but in that moment there was a kind of… a sort of euphoric release in picking apart all of the woman’s longstanding lies about villainy, and laying it all bare for her to see just how silly they really were. It was startlingly cathartic to be given the excuse to just… speak the truth without fear of repercussion, after all; Raven was under truth serum influence, nobody could accuse her of lying!

“ _Are you pulling my leg dear?_ ” The queen squinted at her suspiciously.

“ _Impossible your grace!_ ” Raven had replied a touch too cheerfully. “ _I have… been poisoned with… a bad batch… of truth serum! I can do nothing… but speak the… truth! It is designed to… keep me in a trance while… answering questions, and suffering me… painful repercussions if… I try to fight its… influence!_ ”

By then Raven had dragged herself to slump her limp form in the wide, sunlit bathed archway of a large open door, leading out into one of the gardened courtyards (facing the “dark woods” which was why hardly anyone used this entrance). The combination of fresh air and sun-warmth relaxing Raven further, as the queen of Ever After gaped at her some more.

In fact, it was Snow White who had grown frustrated and tense for the next while, with Raven easily able to pick apart and give perfectly reasonable answers to why she was a Rebel at all, the witch able to do so without the obligation of politeness or kindness, and having a viable reason for it to boot!

It was horrible, terrible even.

Yet oh so wonderful, to finally be free, however briefly, from courtly politics, and obligations towards being polite and (most importantly) _silent_ about Raven’s feelings and the overall weight of inter-kingdom politics (because duty dictated that the Queens should refrain from educating the White family about how the Queen’s actively ruling monarchy- as opposed to the White’s mere symbolic role in ruling a kingdom- less they get any funny _ideas_ that could potentially lead to wars and conquests. The White family used to be incredibly blood-thirsty back before the fairytales, and while their memories on historical events were short, the Queen’s recollection was very long). It was an excuse that no witch-hunt weary governor, nor any sharp-tongued critic could fault her for, and she reveled in it. Be damned the consequences!

The memory of the priceless reactions from the grown monarch would be something Raven guiltily cherished for years to come, a revenge that she could never quite bring herself to regret, given how Snow White actively played a role in tearing her family and life apart when Raven was a child.

“ _Well can’t you just pretend? At least until we find Apple a new prince?_ ” Snow White was sounding… well pretty defeated. Raven wouldn’t have minded if her usual arguments with Apple had been _this easy_. The fact that Snow White was still worrying herself over fairytales said a lot actually; Apple would have been smart enough to worry about all the other stuff a great deal more, perhaps even doing research, which would have given many of Raven’s nervous ministers grey hairs if they found out. Because it was easier dealing with foreign monarchs who only concerned themselves with parties and looking young, a monarch that actively took interest in what the common people in other countries were doing with their politics was very worrying indeed. And while the Queen family and the current Good King’s active roles in government were technically even more worrying, at least they weren’t foreigners!

“ _What about… Dexter Charming your grace?_ ” Raven continued on without thinking, the haze of the drug still working strong. “ _He’s single. And openly searching for a proper maiden to make his queen_.”

Raven would later fuzzily recall the entire conversation, with a heavy layer of hazy sunlight, and blurred sense of time, but she was pretty sure that Snow White had questioned Raven’s sanity right about then and proceeded to ask her what color the sky was. _Just_ to be certain the drug was working right.

Honestly Raven had surprised herself with the recommendation. However, it did make sense in a way; Apple would make do with just about any prince as long as they were a Charming, and Dexter… well Dexter wanted to be a _good_ Charming king, and to be a good Charming king, you needed a fair maiden to become your queen. Apple cut the perfect definition, Raven on the other hand, did not. And once Raven started to think about it, the more she realized the reason for the lack of communication that had transpired between her and her ex; Raven was Raven, she wasn’t going to change into a maiden now that she was free to be “good”. Dexter had obviously been hoping that she’d turn maidenly, since he had gone behind her back to discuss a future marriage with his parents and court. Therefore, it only made perfect sense now that Dexter was single and Apple needed a sense of assurance for her future.

 _It would also get the two of them out of Raven’s hair._ A cruel voice hissed in the back of her mind.

Raven would later be informed that the entire conversation had taken roughly thirty minutes before she had been located. Drowsily attempting to keep herself awake and breathing normally while Snow White could be heard muttering to herself as she did further background research into Dexter, the woman apparently seriously considering the boy for a future son-in-law now.

Raven had not known that the queen had been so desperate to find her daughter a new spouse.

Of course all of that became less of an issue as far as Raven had been concerned when she had suddenly found herself surrounded by a surprising number of familiar worried faces (three: Ashlynn, Briar, and Faybelle) before Professor Bad Wolf appeared, checking her over briefly, and then proceeding to pick up her limp body to be rushed off to the school’s infirmary at top speeds.

XXX

On the positive side the toxin wasn’t as strong as she had feared, and her heart was young and in top shape… despite a leaky valve that was hopefully temporary, it was a miracle that she had even that little damage really, considering the nature of the substance. The serum would not have likely killed her overall (just cause some serious damage). She could rest easy that Apple had at least been careful enough to give the correct dosage, even though it had been the incorrect type of truth serum to slip the witch in the first place. And Raven had, as far as she could recall, managed not to slip the name of the person who drugged her before the healers had cured her, which meant that she had thus far spared herself an unwanted uproar when all she wanted to do right now was sleep and be left alone.

On the downside however nobody seemed inclined to let her drop the issue and forget about it. They had good reason to of course; any variety of truth serum was a banned hazardous substance on school grounds, and highly illegal in Ever After. The Headmaster seemed particularly keen to limit the repercussions that this would bring to the school’s reputation (and no doubt to offer up the guilty party’s parents as sacrifice to her father’s wrath).

“No.” Raven turned away from the man in question and hid her head beneath her standard-issued infirmary blanket. “No more drama. I’m too tired for this!” literally, she had been bawling her eyes out something pitiful not even ten minutes prior to the Headmaster and Giles’s arrival.

“Miss Queen I am afraid that a fair amount of drama will have to incur!” The Headmaster informed gravely, gently tugging at the girl’s tightly gripped bed coverings.

“I know there will.” Raven sighed, deflating. “But… they won’t try it again. And it feels like that there would be more trouble if I talk and the entire school finds out, than if I just… don’t cause a fuss and stay clear of them.”

There was a significant pause from the two men behind her.

“My dear, if you fear for your safety from this girl then we can protect you.” Giles assured so gently it made Raven’s heart break all over again.

“…Who says they were a she?” Raven gruffs, swallowing past a lump in her throat.

“You did dear. You told Snow White that a girl had poisoned you.” Giles informed.

“Did I?” Raven blinked, she must have since they knew, she couldn’t remember, and thinking hurt right now.

“Miss Queen you must tell us who poisoned you, it’s the only way that we can make certain that she can’t try this dangerous stunt ever again.”

“She won’t do it again.” Raven spoke with grim assurance. “She won’t even go near me ever again I’ll bet.” Not with everything that Raven had admitted while under the influence. _Oh no_ , how could any proper princess even contemplate letting herself even getting within ten feet of some _thing_ like Raven, and her “ _unnatural”_ ideas of the world. The entire memory was still foggy, but _details_ were slowly beginning to emerge from the ether. Much to her mortification.

And it would be more trouble snitching than it would just staying quiet. Apple was, after all, still the heir to Ever After, and they both attended an Ever After school, where Apple was praised by local propaganda to be the fairest and most perfect of them all… she just _didn’t_ get into trouble with unleashing a dangerous criminal, nor would she for this most likely. Nope, once it all got out it would be _Raven_ who would be criticized for freaking Apple out to the point to where she had thought that _this_ dangerous little stunt would be necessary. Apple was the fairest, Raven wasn’t, this was a fact of life. Nobody wanted their perfect princess to be depicted in the wrong light, and Raven suspected that this would still be held true even if Apple were to turn into a _real_ evil queen. She was a symbol, that was what she was bred for: to not be Apple, but to be a Snow White. Perfect in every way.

Raven on the other hand was a foreigner, and most of the time people seemed to forget that she was heir to a kingdom of her own at all. As far as most students- _that had not come from Raven’s homelands_ \- were concerned; Raven was a commoner and a rude little foreign thing, for going up against the crown’s heir. To them Raven was… entertaining, but still an embarrassment speaking out of her station, if something bad happened to her directly from any action of Apple’s, then it was to be ignored. At all costs.

Just like it had happened last year.

Hex this was depressing.

“And how can you be so certain?” The headmaster questioned, with, admittedly, a reasonable amount of skepticism.

“Because I’m not going to be her friend anymore.” Raven replied cryptically, curling up even further into the sheets. Determined to call Maddie later so that she and the other girl could quickly pack up Raven’s things and set Raven up somewhere else until she found a new place to live…

That is, though, counting on the fact that Apple didn’t exorcise Raven’s things to a new dorm (or the trash) first.

XXX

As it had turned out Maddie did not have to be called for a secret mission to get Raven out of Apple’s domain, and Apple had not had the chance to stop freaking out long enough to seriously think about what she was going to do next.

Because in the most unlikely of twists, _drama_ had played itself out while Raven spent nearly a week held up in the infirmary (recovering in earnest, feeling all tired and sore with the Healers murmuring in the background about keeping an eye out for aneurisms, tissue damage, and ominously seeing if a newly leaky valve in Raven’s heart would mend itself or if she might need surgery).

In fact, there had been a fight- no, a _battle_! A battle of “ _epic proportions!”_ Others would later recall to Raven. There had been no peace for three solid days apparently, very few knew what all of the fuss was about, and even fewer were brave enough to _find_ out, but the results of which had turned Ever After’s social structure upon its head for the second time in so many years!

Maddie had rolled her eyes and called it out for what she considered to be the most accurate description: a divorce. A divorce between several long-time friends of the higher pecking order in the school’s social structure.

…And somehow _Ashlynn_ had managed to be the one to win Raven from Apple in the resulting paperless “custody battle” of said “divorce” (and hadn’t that been an interesting conversation when said princess marching in and announced that Raven was now under her custody! All but confirming that Maddie had been making the same “divorce” comparisons all to other people’s faces, and the idea had stuck in as reality).

Briar had been the one to arrange an impromptu arrangement of switch-and-match roommates, and dorm rooms; convincing Cupid and Blondie to move into Ashlynn and Briar’s former dorm which was right beside Apple’s dorm, moving Bunny (who was extremely confused but too frightened to ask too many questions) in with Apple, Raven in with Ashlynn into the dorm formerly occupied by Cupid and Blondie which was two floors down and in an entirely separate wing from Apple’s, and finally herself in with Faybelle. Even going as far as to have everything all moved out and in within one school day with hours to spare!

Although to be fair the move probably happened a lot quicker than usual due to the fact that everybody was pretty cool with either trading furniture or _sharing_ a bed (which confirmed Raven’s suspicions about Briar and Faybelle), the only furniture that had to be switched was Bunny’s into her new dorm, and almost all of the things that Apple had gotten Raven (without the witch’s input or consent) at the beginning of Legacy Year, donated right into a charity or ominously abandoned at the old mansion where Sparrow and his band practiced. Knowing full well (because Maddie told them) that Raven wouldn’t miss a thing.

It had been a shock for said band. However, Sparrow grew particularly fond of all the free jewelry and bird-skull accessories once he stopped being freaked out about finding all the silver skull candle-holders, the dangerously morbid bed, and an Evil Queen crown replica intermingled with his band’s stuff. For a heart-stopping moment he had reportedly feared that the fangirls were out to ritualistically sacrifice him.

It was meant, at first, to be a surprise for Raven, but that was quickly rejected since they all agreed that this time around Raven should have some say in what her side of the dorm would look like. It was a kindness that brought literal tears of fragile happiness to Raven’s eyes; having all new things that the witch would actually like since she had so very little that she considered _hers_ and not things that were “what an Evil Queen was supposed to have”, something that she liked, not what other people chose for her. Actually treating her as a person and genuine nobility by letting her have actual choice!

And _that_ fact had apparently fueled a whole new argument between Apple and the others. At least that’s what a _very impressed_ Faybelle recounted at Raven’s bedside in the Healing ward, she also said that Raven was more of a henpecked bird than a fearsome freedom fighter, but was quick to recant when Raven cheerfully threatened to gift _Sparrow_ all of the make-up that she normally received in the mail on a monthly basis from Apple’s patented “ _Raven’s personal Evil Queen Line_ ”, instead of giving it to the fairy.

Though when it came down to it Raven had a tough time deciding on what theme she wanted, and found herself slightly embarrassed at all the fuss, and still too ill to summon the will to care much about it. So Maddie contacted somebody from Raven’s home and contracted them to take pictures of her chambers and homeland’s aesthetics, people donated enough of a wide mix of old clothing to fill at least half of Raven’s new wardrobe, and in the end Raven hadn’t even had to do anything at all to get a half of a dorm room that she was more than happy to live in for the remainder of her schooling (particularly since it did not give her nightmares, or a harsh start when she opened her eyes).

And Raven knew that she liked her new dorm because she spent several more days held up in bed (Healer’s orders), so she had plenty of time to become well used to the change.

At least she appreciated having little to no physical reminders of destiny, and being left alone for long periods of time while Ashlynn went to class, so that Raven could properly bawl her eyes out, and have a few proper panic attacks, without inconveniencing anyone. She was, after all, still extremely upset over everything. Though by the way Ashlynn mothered her during the first few days Raven suspected that the other knew, but respected Raven’s privacy too much to vocally comment. Bless her.

The Headmaster still attempted to prod her for information, her father was still immensely furious (and rightfully so), and some parents were vocalizing their concerns as well. In a terrible way she was sort of relieved that thus far he had little to say to her about anything related to destiny. It was a refreshing change of pace.

“Miss Queen, your father and several other parents are continuing to voice their… concerns over your attempted poisoning via illegal, and unauthorized substance! Whatever your feelings on the matter are… You cannot just forget that it happened!”

The Headmaster was doing his best not to shout, Raven could tell, the Healers and her father must have put the fear of whatever gods the man held allegiance to into him to not stress her out. Something Raven felt a bit chagrinned about, being treated like a fragile invalid and everything was worrying.

“My brother is correct Raven.” Giles soothed, handing Raven a cup of warmed milk while taking the liberty of preparing Raven’s latest dose of heart medication for her. Seemingly needing something to do with his hands as he worriedly eyed her pale complexion, and exhausted demeanor. “This is serious, if the dosage had been off by even the slightest bit we may not have been able to have saved you in time. It may have been meant as a harmless bit of… what is it that you’re calling it?”

“Pointless drama.” Raven sighs obediently. “They didn’t mean to almost kill me, or to cause me any harm at all. Just… they just wanted me to speak plainly about… a few things that I felt they had no business knowing in the first place. They aren’t bad… just… reckless.”

“And you forgive them for this?” Giles arches a bushy brow.

“…No.” Raven’s voice is small, accepting her pills and a fowl-tasting bottle of potion, washing them down with the milk to get rid of the taste.

“The culprit cannot go unpunished Miss Queen.” The Headmaster tries going for stern, but ends up flinching, and looking away unsteadily when Giles, who has a surprising background in medical training, helps administer Raven’s weekly shot of something that feels like cold syrup in the witch’s veins, and hurts like nothing else while it’s being administered.

Looking between the two men’s expressions Raven heaves a sigh, knowing that, unlike the usual fairytale business, this was far too serious to just brush off completely like usual.

“They are already regretful Headmaster sir.” Raven grits out as her arm _aches_. “They wanted the truth out of me… and they got it. All of it. Every last bit and…”

“And?” The headmaster prompts.

 _And just because I understand that this is a legitimate serious matter, for once, something that’s of actual importance and all that… does not automatically mean that I’m gonna tell you about Apple_. Raven scowled furiously at the plush carpet of the Headmaster’s office.

“And I’m to understand that they regret it. They had slipped me the serum with the intent of…” Raven’s face screws up in confusion. “Well to be honest I’m still puzzling out why them wanting to know things about why my kingdom works differently than Ever After… and other Charming-based kingdoms… and some personal things about myself was so important to them. It was all mostly pretty mundane, stupid stuff. Not anything that should have warranted a truth-serum. Anyway, they were extremely disappointed in my answers… I guess… they just couldn’t handle the truth.”

The two older men shared a look. Raven’s scowl deepened; it felt highly unnatural, speaking even this much truth to one man who was like a surrogate uncle, and the other who was a stubborn fool most of the time. She wanted to blame most of it on the Headmaster’s usual incompetence, but deep down she could not deny that it was mostly embarrassment over being so… violated, that was making her grouchy and uncooperative.

“Can you please be a bit more specific Raven?” Giles started gently. “I understand why you may just want to forget about this whole thing, but the type of questions this girl asked of you could be very important.”

At Raven’s flat expression Giles held up his hands in a placating gesture, while the Headmaster fidgeted impatiently. “You don’t have to say who this girl was, just… what her questions were like, the general theme if you please?”

Raven sighs in irritation. _Relenting_. To a certain extent, if only to get this meeting over with. “You know… things like; why I don’t openly talk about my kingdom’s sensitive internal political affairs, and why it is important for me to begin my education into learning how to run my kingdom, why I can’t just skip it and irresponsibly shove it to some minister to do the work instead, what becoming a Lady Good King means, and… well a whole lot of personal questions. Don’t ask I don’t want to talk about it. Normally I’d have been concerned with very crude espionage but they just kept… interrupting when my answers didn’t… meet up to their expectations or what they wanted to hear. Like I said; they were extremely disappointed that… I had a life and a future outside of fairy-… school. This school. A-And that there was apparently nothing about me that was quite… right.”

Raven felt her body begin to curl in on itself at the memories, still a little fuzzy, but the overall gist was extremely clear enough.

“What do you mean, not quite right Miss Queen?” The Headmaster leaned forwards suspiciously.

 _Everything_. “My culture is different from hers.” Raven stated cagily.

“Well yes, it would be.” The Headmaster nodded, a bit exasperatedly. “You do come from another country. It’s to be expected.”

Expected. Ha!

“She didn’t like that it was so different.” Raven almost, nearly, but still not quite hissed at the elder man. Scrambling to keep her head, to not succumb to the seething hurt that just wants to lash out at anything that reminds her of the ache. “Kept interrupting and saying that it was all wrong. Because despite me explaining centuries worth of cultural traditions overseen by my family she… didn’t like the fact that we… have other obligations aside from our role in one story. Like running a country for the benefit of my people, she really hated the truth that Evil Queens look after their country with benevolence because we love our people and it is our duty to see them safe and well.”

All wrong because it had nothing to do with fairytales, or the two of them. Which had been surprising; Raven would have thought that Apple would have been… at least fascinated about more than a few things, and would have probably have gotten distracted by it all.

Another shared look.

“Miss Queen… do you suspect that this may be a hate crime motivated by your nationality?” The Headmaster asks delicately, for the first time to Raven’s knowledge the man actually looks… dependable. Like an actual Headmaster, who is doing his job properly, by protecting instead of condemning his students for their varied ancestries.

It’s shocking, so much so that the building furious tears threatening to consume her in a blithering mess, still, cease their rising path and leave her with dry eyes instead of wet cheeks. Washing her senses with a cooled sensation as she seriously contemplates the question.

Finally, Raven shook her head. “She… seemed far too shocked by my answers. If she had done this with the initial intention of hurting me I’d have been the one running away from the room in tears. Not her.”

At that the Headmaster brightened, and gone was the Responsible-Headmaster, he was replaced by the one that got all shiny-eyed over any magical outburst Raven accidentally had. “She ran away crying? Well good for you Miss Queen for defending yourself! It’s good to see that you understand the importance of embracing your-OW! Giles! What?”

“What my brother means…” Giles waved a rolled up folder menacingly at his brother. “Is that he’s very relieved that you didn’t take being poisoned sitting down and defended yourself, justly. Because you were in the right. Not evil. Just protecting yourself. Which is a good thing, because you are good and deserve to not feel guilty for doing the right thing.”

“Really?” Raven asked doubtfully.

“Really.” Giles assured, with one last stern shake towards his cowering older sibling.

“Would you still be saying the same thing if I said that she was… from one of the _good_ families? The ones with heroes and fair maidens, and… everything my family isn’t?”

“Especially then- OW! Sorry.” The Headmaster gave his irritated little brother a sheepish look from nearly under the desk. “It was just… reflex. Ahem. Miss Queen. What I mean is… wait did you just say a _fair_ maiden did this to you?”

“If you’re going to lecture me on getting poisoned by one of the good characters with an illegal substance, that could have… killed me, and act as though it’s my fault, I’m leaving.” Raven warned testily.

“I wasn’t going to Miss Queen.” The Responsible-Headmaster reappeared. “If that is the case then it’s even more serious since a fair maiden outright harming anyone, especially a villain, with any malicious consequence, is grounds for expulsion. Complete dishonor upon their family for this entire generation!”

“However let the record show that any use of potentially fatal materials such as the truth serum this mysterious girl poisoned you with, regardless of ancestral ties, would be automatically kicked out of the school and left to the mercies of the law- _and_ your father- anyway.” Giles reminded diplomatically.

A cold pit formed in Raven’s tummy, shooting racing shocks of ice up into her veins. For a moment she could not breathe.

Apple… potentially (because her mother did technically own the land around the campus) kicked out of school. The scandal would crush her. The public outcry would probably lash out back at Raven. The rift between the two school factions might turn violent, now that Apple had made the first move…

Raven still loved her.

Raven turned her head away from the two men awaiting her confession. “She won’t bother me again.” The witch murmured mournfully. “And… with all the other stuff going on, with me switching roommates and everything, I’d just prefer to avoid any more drama please.”

The Headmaster thankfully bought the excuse and resigned himself to a defeated huff, indicating that he was willing to leave off the conversation for another time, rather than deal with any more of Raven’s stubbornness. She had trained him well.

Giles on the other hand seemed to have gained some form of dangerous realization. His eyes suddenly widening with a shocked; “Oh dear”.

“So this is related to your falling out with Apple White.” Giles wasn’t asking a question.

For his part the Headmaster was eyeing his brother as if he’d gone crazy.

“Ashlynn and Briar had a falling out with Apple. Ashlynn won custody of me in the divorce.” Raven dutifully repeated Maddie’s words, trying not to panic. “Maiden issues, I didn’t want to get involved with the complicated politics of it all. So don’t ask because I don’t exactly know the full reason why they fell out.”

Giles arched a dubious brow again. “If you are unaware of why the maidens fell out, then why did you give permission for Briar to declare you her new best friend, and for Ashlynn to move you into a whole different wing of the girl’s dormitory?”

“You are surprisingly observant for a grown-up.” Raven evaded.

“I have two degrees in Headology, and magical adolescent development, plus nearly a decade of being an honorary Wonderlandian.” Giles informed serenely. “I’m observant because I am good at knowing all, and I am good at finding out what I don’t know, especially when I’m worried for a student’s safety. And especially, especially so, when a student’s life was placed in danger, and she had been found poisoned, laying all by herself on the cold stone floor, struggling to breathe. And now you are under constant watch because you may be susceptible to underlying heart, and perhaps even nervous system complications.”

“It has been very worrying.” The Headmaster grudgingly admitted. “It was very difficult seeing someone like you in the Healing ward, as well as having to listen to the recording of your conversation with the queen. I have little doubts that history will look back on that call and-…”

“It’s not public record is it?” Raven piped up. “I beg your pardon Headmaster; I was aware that all of Snow White’s correspondence are monitored for historical archive, but… it hasn’t been released to anybody… has it? I, um, said some very… sensitive things.”

“Yes. You did.” The Headmaster confirmed soberly, and with a hint of… respect? Envy maybe? “You gave the queen much to think about Miss Queen.”

Giles nods. “Under the circumstances, the royal palace has decreed your words under the influence of truth serum, as a matter of diplomatic advice directly to White family, and will not be shared by anyone outside the White family, your father, and us. For you did end up giving some very crucial advice that Snow White is now determined to use for both Ever After’s benefit, and the benefit of your kingdom as well.”

At this Giles pulls a face. “However, and I need to stress this, your current safety is far more important than you having found Dexter a story that will satisfy his want to be accepted as a Charming Prince. He may very well discover that fitting in with his other relatives, will not suit him. Or for your family’s traditional philosophies of proper villainous conduct be better recorded and learned by all future White generations, your father has already shoved the multitude of tomes on the subject in our face and we are looking into teaching the theories to the introductory maiden classes anyway. Or for your mother to be moved to a mental facility to be treated.”

“Yes, now that it has been confirmed that your mother suffers from a magical affliction with her mind, we are willing to discretely give her aid.” The Headmaster nodded, cautiously playing along.

“My mother is not going to be happy about that.” Raven reminded, trying to change the subject.

“She is more concerned with you being in danger from a poisoner you refuse to name.” Giles almost sounded like he was pleading.

“The poisoner was the one who was so horrified by my culture and my nature that she ran out of the room in tears!” Raven argued back helplessly. “Trust me, in her mind, she’s already suffered the worst punishment possible for getting a truth out of me that she didn’t like.”

“She also could have killed you.”

“She was devastated to find out that there is more to running the Queen realms, than just playing Evil Queen all day. She was heartbroken to find out that villains only played villains for the story and nothing else. I broke her a bit with that.”

“She was far more of a villainous menace with her dangerous little stunt Raven.”

“She was horrified when I confessed that I could not forgive her, or trust her for… everything. Despite her being a proper maiden!”

“Gee I wonder why.”

“It really hurt her. A lot. Utterly crippling to her delicate psyche if I do say so myself.”

“With hurt feelings, not an injury to her heart or nervous system.”

“I told her about papa training me to become the next Good King. She was disgusted that I’m officially considered a _prince_ by title at home now.” Raven cast the two men searching glares.

Giles merely nodded. “Which is why it is appropriate for you to take hero classes. My sincerest congratulations by the way, when I heard about the official change over the summer I told the Headmaster that the title was far more suited for you.”

“And I still say that she could become a good Evil King if she played her cards right.” The Headmaster grumbled, ducking quickly out of the way of his brother’s swinging arm. “No, Miss Queen, despite this school’s codes for conducting stories, we would not have the same number of students in attendance if we did not make compromises towards different cultures… especially the villain ones. They tend to hex people you know.”

Raven had the sudden suspicion that this had been a lesson the Headmaster had to learn the hard way once upon a time.

“Oh really?” Raven snorted, trying to sound as vexed as the sudden storm of furious rebellion welling in her gut, but the tremble in her voice gave her away. “And if it told you that the daughter of an overseas magistrate has been tentatively betrothed to me, to become my queen, you would make compromises in your views with that too would you?” The witch snapped spitefully, chin held up defiantly even as her bottom lip trembled.

The reaction she received was not what she had been expecting.

Giles rubbed her shoulders kindly, giving her an encouraging smile, while his brother merely rolled his eyes.

“This is a school filled with royalty Miss Queen. Trust me; you are hardly the first student to gravitate towards a romantic entanglement with the same gender, nor is your declaration in anyway shocking… I have seen and heard worse. From all different types of… _entanglements_. Since you do not require to marry for a story, and as long as you are _discrete_ , there is no issues that you will find with us on this matter.”

At the tired/haunted look in the man’s eye, Raven realized with a start that the old man had probably had his fair share of dealings with amorous teenagers doing things that they shouldn’t far too often than what she had ever heard about. With the stiff way most couples at the school acted around each other she had just assumed that most of the “good” characters were too prudish to do anything aside from kissing chastely on the cheek, and that everybody was too afraid to do literally _anything_ with a kid from a “villainous” ancestry.

Of course abstractly Raven knew that Briar and Faybelle were the current exception to her known observations, but they were still the only exception that Raven had ever come across.

“Seriously?” Raven’s brows were nearly at her hairline.

“Unfortunately.” The Headmaster seemed a touch green at the apparent memories.

“Just as long as it’s not incest, and the relationships remain in accordance to school-conduct codes, we do not interfere.” Giles confirmed. “It’s really none of our business, especially now that so many have followed your Rebellion.”

“If that’s true then why all the secrecy? If people don’t have to hide from you guys or the staff, then… why haven’t I heard or seen anything?” Raven demanded in utter confusion.

“Parents.” Giles sighed.

“Those of Charming decent have their own family codes of conduct that are reinforced whenever the students come home.” The Headmaster tried to make all the heavy implications sound lighter than what they obviously were. “There is a strict culture of keeping an eye out on one another… from school all the way into their adult lives. It is a matter of honor to remain within the codes of purity and proper conduct at all times… no matter what.”

Faintly Raven became aware of a completely new understanding of her past relationship with Dexter, and why breaking up when they had was _definitely for the best_. She may be half human, but she was still both a human and a witch, with feelings and needs of her own that transcended propriety. It wasn’t just physical attraction, since that was one life hurdle she herself had not been keen to jump over while tensions between different school factions, and her pathetically helpless love for Apple were still so… raw.

She wanted somebody who wasn’t afraid to stand by her side as an equal, somebody who was affectionate, and passionate, and to be completely comfortable around her presence. Dexter was sweet and smart, even funny when coaxed out of his shy little shell, but when trouble came around he hid and left her to fight the dragons alone, he only ever hugged her in a stiff, awkward manner perhaps a handful of times, sticking mostly to handshakes with his clammy palms and keeping respectable distances between the two of them in a way that made Raven sometimes feel like she had an incurable disease.

Dexter did have potential for passion; he got very excited when the topic of computers came up, and he adored the genuine attention she gave him like a puppy starved for treats, even now, despite their status as _just_ good friends, she could tell that he was ecstatic to have found a friend who tended not to bring up his brother’s accomplishments, and someone who was willing to listen to what he had to say, and he was utterly fascinated by her own cultures to learn as much as he could… but then he’d remember his desire to become a proper Charming King and he’d check himself. Disregarding his own personal interests completely, and viewing all the things Raven taught him about her culture in a strictly diplomatic context, and whenever she let him help her learn how to run a kingdom (which was practically all the time now, since he was invaluably useful with his observations and opinions) with the type of government hers had- through historical examples and letters with her father’s notes written into the margins- he’d wind up commenting as regally as he could on how important it was for him to learn this stuff for his future, and how he hoped that she’d think about considering him as an ally once she took her place at her father’s side.

It was as if he needed to give himself a proper excuse in order to show that he was enjoying himself.

And sadly enough the two of them were much closer now as “future allies” (platonic friends) than they had ever been as romantic partners. He was never comfortable enough to be in the same room as her before, he hadn’t even felt confident enough to ask her about the whole “maybe make her his maiden queen thing” (though she would have been just as appalled if he had asked her) before going to his family first for support and permission.

She had thought that it had just been Dexter being his usual self, but now… if she put every interaction into the light of “Honor” and “codes of proper conduct”, everything changed!

And it stung a little, but it was okay because he was her friend, she wasn’t happy that he’d be limiting his whole life like this, but it was his life and his culture, and as his friend she was determined to let a little bit of her villainous ancestry’s knack for manipulating people out so that he’d at least have _some_ excuse to act like a normal human around her without feeling guilty about it.

However, it also put her forced confessions with Apple into a whole new light as well.

A horrid, ugly light.

Raven fell back into the plush chair as though she were a puppet with her strings cut.

“They have codes of conduct for everything eh?” The witch muttered bitterly.

Giles deftly caught her empty milk glass before it fell to the floor. “Did she find out about your betrothal?” He asked sympathetically.

“Worse.” Raven trembled, feeling so thoroughly defeated that a big part of her was tempted to just tell them about Apple and be done with it. “She found out that I had found her… that I-I was **_not_** going to let my feelings for her become obscene. That I was always going to be respectful and refuse to let my… inappropriately doomed affections towards her get in the way of being platonic friends with her.”

“Ah.” Sighed Giles, breaking formality and pulling her into a hug.

“She did not take your assurances towards acting in proper decorum- _for once_ \- well I take it?” The Headmaster’s tone indicated that he knew where this was going.

“She called me an unnatural freak and burst into tears, saying that she couldn’t believe that I had taken advantage of her trust and allowed myself to get anywhere near her with my dis-disgust-ting-… She said that she could forgive me for being the leader of the Rebels but not for this.” Raven was horrified by the streams of hot tears dripping down her chin, she hadn’t cried openly in front of anybody but family since the day her mother was locked up. “She vowed to find me psychiatric help so that I could be “fixed” and then swore that she’d find me a proper prince to become my future Good King since I-I’m apparently to not be trusted with... with… a-and then I told her that it was normal, accepted where I come from, that there was nothing to cure, that there was no cure, that she wasn’t family and that her trying to forcefully fix me up with an arranged marriage might be seen as an act of war from my people.”

Raven was finding it hard to breathe, her chest ached so she focused on calming down for the sake of her healing physical heart. “I told her that she could either learn to be willing to accept who I am or she could leave my life forever. But she could not meddle in my personal affairs, or ever expect me to trust her ever again. That I may be fool enough to care for her, but I am not fool enough to let her talk her way into my forgiveness after everything that she’s done to hurt me. And that truth serum was illegal. Though it hardly mattered by then.”

She had also said, that she had wanted to be moved out immediately since Apple seemed hell-bent on trying to mold Raven into someone that never existed, and that some days she worried that Apple might actually manage to go so far overboard that she’d end up killing her over a stupid story. Before suggesting that Apple get some psychiatric help herself, since she had been willing to endanger people’s lives for the sake of a feeble promise of a happy future.

…She may have also mentioned that there were family archives of correspondence of Evil Queens past who kept in touch with their Snow Whites, and how a heartbreakingly large number of fair maidens found their happily ever after’s… lacking to the point of being unhappily ever after’s. That she sometimes guiltily found a smart girl like Apple to be a weak, spoilt child, always needing other people to carry her around, and even more embarrassingly, do things for her in order for her to live her life. That the burden she kept trying to thrust upon Raven with the whole Evil Queen part of the fairytale ritual was unfair and just too much, to keep using Raven as a type of sacrificial beast of burden, and that Raven feared sometimes, in the dark hours of the night, that the princess would use her as an excuse for why her life as a Snow White in the big, pretty cage of a palace, isn’t making her happy. That while Raven wanted with everything she had for Apple to be happy, it was just something that the witch could not magically provide. Not with a fairytale. And not as the Evil Queen.

It was the complete, ugly, truth and it pained Raven how horribly it had been worded so… tactlessly. She could barely even think about that last bit in the conversation without finding herself having trouble to breathe. It was the one main thing that Raven had never wanted Apple to discover, no matter how bad things between them got. Because it would- it _did_ hurt her. It had utterly crushed Apple with swift, and cruel efficiency, like nothing else probably could.

“And what was her reply to this?” Giles hums, wiping away tears with a kerchief.

Raven sniffled, laughing humorously. “She then threw a bottle she said contained the antidote at me and ran out in tears.”

“She had an antidote?” The Headmaster blinked the same time Giles voiced his appalled protest. “She _threw_ it at you?”

“Missed me by a mile.” Raven hiccupped. “She had probably meant to just toss it to me to take, but miscalculated on her way out. There was a big stain in the carpet… or so I had been told.”

Raven could sense to two men silently communicating to each other for a good long while in the quiet of the room, giving her a chance to calm down, and focus on not upsetting her heart too much.

“Alright.” The Headmaster finally sighed. “You were right.” He relented, defeated by whatever silent argument he and Giles had been having.

“You know I am.” Giles concurred firmly, turning to Raven carefully. “Raven? …We already have a good idea of who poisoned you. We _are_ going to take action. But as it is at the moment we need to gather evidence. A written statement from you may be necessary in the future, but for now… we just need you to say her name. Confirm to us on the record, and we can take immediate action. We _will_ take action. Being the daughter of the resident queen won’t deter us or blow up back onto you, I swear it. Just… say her name. we’ll do the rest.”

Raven’s mind screeched to a halt.

_What?_

_They knew? Did they suspect the right maiden- oh hex resident queen! Yep. They knew. All of this had been them acting like they hadn’t known to get her guard down thinking they’d never suspect Apple in a million years._

_But… how?_

“I’m not confessing that you have the right maiden. But… how exactly did you come to that conclusion?” Raven eyed Giles bewilderedly. “Nobody suspects her, with anything. Not even when she _does_ do something wrong.”

“We have had people come to us anonymously with suspicions, they had been present in the area that Miss White and her former group had their first fight. They were… quite loud. Or so I’ve been told.” Giles informed mildly.

_Ashlynn and Briar? Or was it Faybelle and Maddie?_

“But we can’t do anything without you being able to name your poisoner. They… had spoken about many things but… they had been careful not to clearly state that they had been speaking about who poisoned you, they just gave pointed hints, and when we looked into it ourselves… there _is_ evidence. Lots of evidence.” The Headmaster looked… conflicted at his admission.

 _You didn’t call me in here to tell me pretty words about bullying and sending people into corners like children. You’re serious, like adults preparing for a knock-down drag out fight!_ Raven realized with a start so jarring that she half felt as though she had just been slapped. _And I’ve just confirmed all of your suspicions about Apple. If I so much as whisper her name you’re actually going to rake her over the coals for this._

Raven frowned at the thought, shaking her head against Giles’s forearm. The cold shock of the power she held over Apple’s fate making blood roar like war drums in her ears.

“I love her.” She breathed helplessly. Truthfully. “I can’t-… I’d never forgive myself.”

“…Miss Queen.” The Headmaster sighed warningly. And Raven recognized the tone well enough that, she could tell he was far from happy about this, about setting out after someone as well-regarded and popular as Apple White… but he was still going to do it. He was actually _willing_ to go through with this.

“I can’t.” Raven repeated, shaking her head again. “No more drama.” She begged.

Why was that so difficult for everybody to understand?

XXX

“The school doesn’t hold dorm inspections after people to twisty loop-de-loops with rooms once the year has started.” Maddie dryly began without preamble.

Raven blinked neutrally. “They don’t?”

“No.”

“Oh, well that would explain why Ashlynn and I haven’t gotten a cleaning checklist yet.” Raven dully sipped her tea. “Did all that pre-cleaning and organizing for nothing I suppose… well maybe for entertainment. When do you suppose the healers will let me back into taking full-time classes? I’m being driven up the walls being shut in all day.”

“Bunny is still new enough not to understand some school procedures.” Maddie pressed, undeterred.

“Is she now?”

“Professor Baba Yaga, and your land’s newly official royal representative Red Riding Hood did a looky loo of Bunny’s dorm.”

“Really? Interesting.”

“Someone of certain witchy persuasion told Bunny that she and Apple were to expect to be evaluated on room cleanliness and made sure that everything was in fairytale-approved order. Something about stain-free everything and no inappropriate spell books and memorabilia for a princess and a time-bunny.” Raven didn’t even know Maddie’s voice could reach that level of dryness.

“Mmm.” Raven sighed. Caught out. “Did they find anything?”

“Kitty may have heard whispers of suspicions, and while they didn’t appear to looky-find enough to legally kick her to kingdoms future, they discovered plenty to satisfy suspicions, and to forbid you-know-who from going out to the village, and formally scolding her, and forbidding her from getting within ten feet of you. Kitty’s furious that you didn’t tell her by the way. Expect a thorough dressing down later this week.” Maddie sniffed, as if it was only to be expected.

“I don’t want any more drama over this.” Raven defended softly.

“You pity her.” Maddie accused kindly.

“Yes.” Raven wasn’t about to deny this to Maddie of all people. “She won’t hurt or come near me again. We’ve cut ties. They’ve taken us out of any classes that we used to share, and put me fully into the hero classes with sprinklings of electives and periods where all I am to do is study up on my own kingdom’s affairs. She can’t get to me. She doesn’t even want to be near me in case what I am is contagious I’ll bet. As it currently stands I am free of her and she of me.”

“Unless she decides that she still wants you for her villain.”

“I’m finding her a new villain.”

“Good. Which way and who would you be thinky think of?”

“I’m going to covertly help Briar spread the word around the Royal villain community, and get people to sign up for informal interviews, references, and evil potentials. We’re thinking about starting this Monday after class.”

“Ah, so Faybelle then.”

“We’ll see. Probably though, if she wants it. Briar’s definitely going to be biased, I honestly don’t care as long as she’s capable of doing the job without actually killing anybody. And then there will be formal interviews and arrangements made between the winning villain’s family and mine, and then we make it official with a binding contract.”

“And then the White clan will be told?”

“At the last minute if we can help it.”

“And your heart is on the mend?”

Raven pursed her lips. “Physically yes, the leaky valve is healing itself thanks to my magic so no surgery will be necessary… hopefully. The metaphorical heart on the other hand… will take time, but it’ll heal too I suspect, as long as we stay away from each other.”

“Leaving you truly well and free from little Missy Apple dear-drops.”

“Technically since I’m a Rebel I’m free from her right now, yes.”

“Leaving _me_ free to get to her.”

“Maddie…” Raven warned, giving her eldest friend _the eye_.

“I’m allowed to do a little something-something.” Maddie sniffed affronted. “She crossed lines.”

“Which are now leaving consequences; Daring’s not her intended anymore, almost all of her old friends have- as you keep saying- divorced her for the moment, and she is in deep hot water with Giles who… actually I don’t even want to know how he found out.” Raven shook her head. “That’s more than enough I’d think. If it’s overdone, then she can’t stay the wronged party now can she? And you know how much I hate bullying. I need to move on Maddie, and that means staying out of as much drama with this as possible.”

Maddie considered her words for a long moment before sighing. “Fine wine.” She relented, pouting. “But I’m still allowed to be mad. Of the angry sort mind, not the other.”

Raven smiled. “You’re a good friend.”

“And I love you too.” Maddie nodded. “Just… don’t help her with hiding evidence anymore, It’s no longer your concerned heartache. And if she’s not willing to either come clean or clean up by herself then that’s her problem, not yours. You don’t want to give her the wrong impression that you still care.”

“I told Bunny from Blondie’s phone about the rumor going around, Blondie still talks to Apple on occasion so she doesn’t need to know that I was the one who covered her back.” Raven revealed. “Of course I told Blondie to come clean immediately about me using her phone if pressed by the teachers, but I’m not too worried about it, she’s ordered Bunny to delete the message and not talk about it. Since it was supposed to be a “surprise” inspection and all.”

“Surprised indeed.” Maddie gave a slow smile, not telling Raven that Giles suspected Apple to be the one to spread the inspection rumor. What Raven didn’t know would hurt Apple.

“But… yes, I suppose I’ll have to keep my nose out of it.

“Good.”

“No matter how…”

“Embarrassed you are that this happened?”

“And a bunch of other emotions but yes.”

“Goody good. As long as you understand my benevolent wisdom.”

“And I love you too ya mad hat.” Raven rolled her eyes fondly.

XXX

She had expected far more resistance from the boys in her hero classes, an invasion of the female persuasion was usually call for an immediate round of outrage and reinforcement of cultural gender classifications.

Surprisingly enough it had been Daring who had publicly congratulated her on the first day of class, shaking her hand in front of everybody and declaring that if anybody else gave her a hard time then she should go directly to him and he’d sort it out.

Raven had been bewildered at the time, disbelieving that an alfa male of Daring’s background would ever see a girl as an equal. It just didn’t fit with the arrogant, self-absorbed, bigoted boy she had known and had been instinctively disgusted by for a third of her life.

But Rosabella had been good for him, breaking all of his old bad personality traits and replacing them with things that made him kind, thoughtful, and the type of person she actually felt _safe_ to be around. She hadn’t realized that she had a deep-seated concern for him to harbor the tendency to turn violent, or verbally abusive overall towards a woman, until all of a sudden it just wasn’t there anymore. And of course long after her little drama with Apple and the enlightening (read: miserable) meeting with Giles and the Headmaster, Raven found herself wondering on occasion about codes and duties, and whether or not it could have ended up actually turning Daring into a horrible person, or if he just needed to get free from the story of Snow White to find his true self.

Of course it helped that other girls such as Darling, Cerise, Ramona, several other Rebel females, and _all_ of the Wonderlandians, were in the combat classes starting on the first day of the term. The turnout of so many Wonderlandians, who are notoriously trained from a very young age to fight for the glory of the motherland, standing beside all the young women from Ever After’s neighboring kingdoms, who held no qualms about diving into sparring matches with a certain brand of viciousness that had been cultivated from one bitter memory too many of people, from either Ever After High or their own kingdoms, using their gender as an excuse to treat them as things and not people… caused (unsurprisingly) very little reason for even the most traditional boy in class to speak too loudly against it.

The boys only knew how to play by strict rules of dueling and defense in a gentlemanly manor fitting for their class and rank.

The girls on the other hand… had an (ironic) tendency to play on the rough and savage side.

For example: Cerise and Ramona, especially, bit at any arrogantly outstretched hands and arms of those who dared tried to steer the “delicate” young women back to the benches, before using their speed and strength to taunt the idiotic fools, Maddie took the initiative to pull her own personal stash of dangerously-cruel-and-unusual-battle-fortified-tea-sets out of her hat, Raven didn’t even have to use weapons most of the time (though she was a fair hand at gentlemen’s fencing thanks to her father), Lizzie had an unsettling fondness for battle axes, Bunny was surprisingly terrifying for a tiny ball of flying fluff and sharp teeth, and Darling _beat up everybody_.

There had been bits of gendered tensions in the first few days, but again, not nearly as much as it could have been. This was due to the fact that the girls tended to spar and duel with each other when going one-on-one, and (after Raven had a pointed conversation with Daring) always teamed up with one or more of the boys when doing group assignment-quests.

This was found to be highly agreeable with people like Dexter and Humphrey, who tended to be more of the weaklings amongst all the much larger and burlier males. They only passed most of their classes by mere effort alone and not by actually being successful on the physical force front, but they were fantastic strategists, and very quick on their feet which always guaranteed them to be picked first by one of the chosen leaders from the girl’s teams.

In fact, Daring had confessed to Raven once that this had been the only year that Dexter had taken high marks in these sorts of classes. Raven was far less intimidating to fence with, and she actually explained how to use a sword in better terms than their father had ever been able to express to his timid baby bro (in reality Raven had actually taught the boy how to _bluff_ knowing what he was doing, and consciously went easy on him since he was more of a diplomate than a fighter. But she wasn’t about to say anything). And group quests had been much easier for him to help complete with both Raven and Cupid acting as his shield and guard while he planned their next move.

It had taken about a month, but the crowed of boys were a majority of even temperament and most were actually happy to have some girls in class, so soon enough Raven and her band of female misfits became firmly integrated as “one of the guys”, and that had been that.

The bonds formed in hero training had helped a lot in Charming practices. Where there weren’t nearly as many girls, and the idea of a girl learning how to woo a maiden was utterly mystifying to most, and if it weren’t for Dexter’s quick explanation of how Raven needed to know how to be Charming in order to run her kingdom and why that was important (as well as some protective flexing from the boys she had helped ace a dragon fighting exam), the witch knew that, again, it could have gotten very ugly.

It had also given Raven decent cover while doing oral reports, all she had to do was describe theories on how Charming etiquette and wooing grace could be used to her advantage during certain situations in her court, and in dealing with non-fairytale kingdoms.

And this was accepted, _mostly_ … as a decent excuse for a girl to take a class like this. Though the only one she had really been worried about in the beginning was King Charming, their instructor, thankfully Dexter had inherited his fascination of politics and strategy from him, the same way Daring and Darling had inherited their mother’s sense of adventure and courageousness. The man delighted in reading her papers about how to merge charm with bewitchments and Raven made sure to ask him what he thought about how to turn certain strategies to her benifit.

It depressed Raven that she wasn’t allowed to complete the physical aspects of her hero classes after her unforeseen poisoning. Being forced to take up advanced rhyming and a study hall to replace two of her quest courses, and filled out the rest of her studies doing desk work, plus being forced to go to counseling and tutoring so that her current depressed state did not drag her behind.

It rankled to be treated like an invalid, but even she couldn’t deny the extra help, not if it distracted her from the soul-gripping black void that depressed her mind into inactiveness, and paralyzing sulks.

Maybe it was this that made her blind to the sudden power-shift within the school, she could do little more than woodenly explain, for the hundredth time, that she felt little need to drag her poisoner out into the open since the cold truth had done more than enough to make the criminal regret everything. Dully explaining of how Raven was “not being secretly evil” and “having more important things, such as her own kingdom, to worry about than the trivial little immature high school stupidity” that her poisoner had assumed would take precedence over their conversation. Picking her words with slow deliberate care, despite her bitterness shining through to the point to where Raven had to latterly bite her tongue to keep from releasing too sharp of insults that might get back to Apple.

Her hero and magic teacher’s noted with concern on how dry or sad her wording had become. They worried, they spoke in quiet tones to the Grimm Brothers, who in turn would loom in the background to observe her.

Her rhyming and creative stories professor is the only one who seemed to _get it_ though, and leave her alone, he’d noted how animated and biting her work had become, and encouraged it, telling her to let it all out and embrace her morose muse until she felt better.

And she did oddly enough. She kept telling herself that she’d burn her class journals after the semester was through and her grades (which were very excellent this year thank you) were processed.

Her classmates saw her as brave, and were fascinated by how she had seemingly turned the tables on her foe, and then declaring with ( _numb apathy_ ) cool grace that such a person was hardly worth the headache. They had been curious about her split from Apple too, though she insisted that it was something merely between Apple and her friends _only_ , she didn’t think that too many people thought that the two had been connected (perfect Apple poisoning someone? Not very likely according to the self-proclaimed experts, and Apple herself).

She hadn’t noticed at first how people were gravitating towards her now, as if her harrowing experience with the truth serum had been this kind of test of character that she had won. Added on top of the instability Briar and Ashlynn’s fights with Apple had caused, and people were practically flocking to her as the only other alternative to taking a side in a fight nobody understood, and were harshly slapped away when they dared ask or try to help. She was an anchor of sorts, something safe and stable to cling onto while the school’s usual “in-crowd” tore each other apart, and frightened other people away (especially when the screaming matches started).

So it was understandable for Raven to nearly take a turn when one day she just so happened to realize that the lunch table she’s sitting at is much more crowded than what she’s used to. And that the people sitting near her are… mostly not at all her usual crowd (save for Maddie, but then again Maddie has always sat beside Raven whenever she could).

Briar sits to Raven’s left, as if she and Raven had always been best friends and it was only natural for her to be sitting on the same side of Raven… that she used to with Apple. She’s carefully looking over the (unofficial) applications of potential villains to take over for the Evil Queen role in Raven’s stead, Faybelle cuddles up close beside her, checking out the competition, and scoffs here and there at some of the more unconventional applicants.

Duchess is sitting on the other side of Faybelle, humming happily to herself, Raven had gotten tired of the girl’s half-pitying, half-jealous attitude, whenever she accompanied Faybelle to Raven’s bedside so that Raven could detail her family’s fairytale laws, and compare them to the villain community’s laws, so that they could best hammer out something to make an easier transition of villain roles to another person (Faybelle was going to make certain that she was going to win, and Raven didn’t have the energy to disabuse her of the notion since it was probably going to happen anyway). Duchess, while unusually empathetic towards the reasons why Raven felt that she was “too ill” to take on the Evil Queen title, was still deeply indignant that she was going to have to face a nightmare after graduation.

Until Raven, irritated beyond belief, pointed out that there were plenty of Rebels _willing_ to switch with Duchess at the drop of a hat. Raven still wasn’t certain which, of the six _willing_ volunteers that Duchess had been introduced to had ended up with the Swan Princess roll, but for her part Duchess was suddenly almost nice, and surprisingly tolerable now that she wasn’t so hurt and vindictive all the time. Even going as far as to socialize with the rest of the group that now surrounded the witch.

Hunter and Ashlynn shared more lunches together. Raven liked the both of them very much, they were kind, loyal, and they both took care of Raven while she was recovering in areas where she still needed lots of help. Raven really hoped that their romance would last, even going as far as to promise that she’d advocate for them if they decided to stay together well into adulthood.

Therefore, ever since she came back to class, they simply just seemed to sit wherever she was sitting. Raven had always known that Apple despised Hunter as much as a fair princess was capable of such an emotion, but until now she had just assumed that the two lovers had different interests and often spent time apart because of it.

It was only now that Raven actually looked at the two of them; deep in conversation about a matter regarding a nature preserve from the homeland that Raven had begged for their expertise on, that she suddenly realized that there had only ever been one differed interest: Apple.

That… broke her heart a bit.

Lizzie was, Raven guessed, curious more than anything, that and there was this whole… _Wonderlandian honor_ thing towards people who rid curses over one’s homeland skies, which was probably why both she and many in her future court huddled around Raven like multi-colored bodyguards.

They were very anal about anything Raven ate or drink (unsurprisingly), which was understandable considering their culture, even though Apple was never going to so much as get within fifty feet of the witch if she could help it now, and therefore Raven was safe on that front.

Regardless they made (forced, threatened, grinned at unnervingly) Sparrow or Hopper have a bite and sip of everything Raven was to have in public. Both were rightfully uneasy and indignant being forced into that type of role, however Sparrow got paid in whatever types of Evil Queen make-up (which made for wicked stage make-up), or bits of dark jewelry that Faybelle wasn’t interested in (why Raven was still getting boxes of stuff from the _designer line of Evil Queen memorabilia_ she didn’t even want to know).

Hopper was offered nothing, and wasn’t promised anything. He had little choice in the matter, so (guiltily) Raven carried his frog form safely on her shoulders to their classes after lunch (being so close to Briar made it difficult for him to keep humanoid form for their entire meal). And a chance to be as close to Briar as he could get without her feeling too overly creeped on (which was the far, opposite end of the table). And free snacks, in class. Because Raven herself did not approve of the boy’s bad habit of not acknowledging Briar’s; “not even if he was the last frog or boy on the planet”, as a very pointed hint (that and Faybelle’s homeland had made a delicacy out of frog legs sooo… it was for his own safety really).

Dexter seemed determined to forever be her faithful, future ally, completely blossoming into a prince-with-Charming-potential now that he had been introduced to a side of ruling and interacting with other kingdoms that involved pure intellect and not a mindless dance of flirtation and fighting giant things with many, (many, many), teeth.

Cupid began making appearances as well, she also appeared incredibly (surprisingly) interested in Raven’s home culture and helping Dexter’s quest in using intellect to be Charming, and overall turn him into a Charming King that he could live with becoming. She also gently counseled Raven when the witch’s depression became too obvious, or whenever it suddenly, for no reason at all, became difficult to breathe. For which Raven was grateful; the winged girl had spared her from more than a few embarrassing episodes in public.

Darling, miffed at Apple for not acknowledging her as a female prince (and arguably, her true Prince Charming though whatever romance there could have been had obviously perished a swift death last year), had pointedly chosen (with polite grace) to side herself with Briar and Ashlynn. So she was always around at lunch and dinner, often volunteering to carry Raven off to bed after days so long that Raven fell asleep sitting up.

Blondie had never chosen a side, carefully keeping herself neutral between her warring friends, and taking to hiding either behind Raven or Dexter when things got really bad. Raven did her best to be extra kind to the blonde, who looked as though her parents were in the middle of a violent divorce (there was that word again, _dang-it Maddie_ ). Sometimes when there was nothing but screaming in the halls the witch would steer Blondie towards an alternative direction to class, and because Raven didn’t want to talk about the fighting either, they conversed on anything and everything that had nothing to do with both Briar and Apple screeching at each other until they lost their voices, and Ashlynn’s quiet-yet-devastating “I’m-not-mad-just-disappointed-in-your-utter-desgrace-of-being-a-proper-caring-princess, friend, and future queen”, speeches.

Sometimes Blondie would cry, sometimes Raven cried too, they talked on some days, and others they were as quiet as the grave. Sometimes they were alone while everybody else was more interested in watching the fighting, sometimes Blondie’s loyal news crew would grow concerned and keep them both company.

It was strange but when Blondie wasn’t playing neutral party, she was with Raven, for reasons Raven couldn’t fathom and Maddie claimed was obvious.

In fact, the young reporter was currently standing to the side of her, utterly enthralled by Maddie’s description (loosely translated by Lizzie) of the _Drachen’s Zeremoniell Ball (Dragon’s Ceremonial Ball)_ that Raven was to attend in her mother’s place very soon back home. The blonde was just vibrating with… something, this was the first time Raven had ever seen anybody this interested in a social event hosted in her homeland, and it was also the first time anybody had voluntarily (aside from Maddie and Kitty) come up to ask her about it.

It was so surprising that Raven just dumbly nodded and smiled after Maddie (pointedly stepped on her foot and directed her a _LOOK_ ) _gingerly_ proposed that Raven was willing to sponsor Blondie to come as a special guest at any future public occasion from the homeland, including this one, and report on it as a cultural piece for her vlog.

It now appeared that Raven had acquired her own outside reporter to remark upon the Queen kingdom socialite events and (as Faybelle dryly put it) quaint little cultural traditions. The witch’s head buzzed from the light-headedness of this fact, that she was now being asked to essentially sponsor the blonde’s future career in reporting.

Which was something that she had always expected Apple to be doing and yet-…

It was probably for the best if Raven just stopped thinking too much about it.

And there were others, a surprising, improbable amount of others. Raven didn’t even have to say very much, just smile and nod, and all of a sudden they were hanging out and talking with other people in the group as if they had only come up to her to ask permission to be there.

Almost as though… she was their leader o-or something…

…Something like how Apple used to be for everyone.

Only Apple had _known_ what she was doing, had _worked_ for it, every single day of her life. Raven hadn’t a blundering clue. It had just… happened, all on its own. It was a messy, unplanned, surprise!

It went against so many of the rules that Apple fretted- no, went to pieces over after every call home.

Responsibly, she promptly took a moment to take care of Blondie’s tentative accommodations to stay in one of the guestrooms at both royal apartments in the capitols of the Queen and King realms, provided Blondie gain her parent’s permission and completed any coursework while under Raven’s protection as a guest. Her Lady’s maid, and butler would take care of the rest.

Quickly surveying the room after Blondie finished giving her enthusiastic thanks, Raven finally caught sight of where Apple was sitting, at the farthest end of the room, and opposite of her (well Briar mostly if Raven was being honest), and breathed a sigh of relief.

Apple was surrounded by people, not the usual crowd (who were now not speaking to Apple), but a sizable crowd nonetheless. Good. At least all of this had not disrupted Apple’s standing to the point to where her popularity would slip, and therefore would lead to Snow White getting involved, again.

It was all fine then. Even if she was going to freak out later and demand that both Briar and Ashlynn tell her what was going on, and if they had somehow propped her up next to them and declared “REVOLUTION!” while she had not been looking.

And then Faybelle will laugh at the mental image that would create, Ashlynn will be all apologetic but firm in the necessity, and Briar with apologize for nothing and calmly point out, with Maddie’s help, all of the reasons why their fight with Apple was inevitable, and about what had been done to them all was wrong, what had been done to Raven was wrong, etc., and so on. A cathartic talk would transpire, Raven would eventually give in after making everybody save for Faybelle (and Kitty, who was listening in) promise to not turn this into something malicious (though she despaired that she was too late in that regard), and then everybody (save for Faybelle who was more than happy to avenge her girlfriend) had a nice, tearful hug.

It was fine.

Perfectly fine.

Fine, fine, fine.

Why wouldn’t it be fine?

At this point even Raven could taste the lie for what it was.

But she was not going to do anything about it because it was all fine!

She hoped.

XXX

Giles either used his contacts amongst the student body to check in on her or chose to spend quiet moments in her study hall filling her with tea and treats while insisting, very comfortingly that “ _they_ ” were going to support her and protect her no matter what.

The Headmaster… invites her into his office where she endures an odd mixture of compliments (bribes) and complaints about her non-evil behavior, a good portion of time where he hems and haws, internally fighting between his duties as a Headmaster and his passion as a servant towards “true royalty”, before finally noticing that she has been staring at him unnervingly for nearly an entire class period. Just staring. Patiently waiting for him to get to the point. But still staring. It is very unnerving…

And then the Headmaster breaks down, his usual stubbornness and bravado cracks. He tells her that her father is seeking for someone’s head on a platter (his if he can’t get his hands of Apple), that Snow White has requested (ordered) her mother to be placed in a (proper) mental health ward, that the Evil Queen strongly suspects (because Raven told her) that Raven’s poisoner wanted to find out ways to force Raven into her role and therefore Raven was going to fight back by finding a new villain for the roll and to be done with it (which was a cold hard fact, not a suspicion), and how that suspicion had actually prompted Snow White and the Evil Queen to have actually created this kind of… truce. Where they were going to find said poisoner and string them up publicly (and if they didn’t find out about Apple he was going to be the one left hanging upside-down), he didn’t know specifics but they were both outraged and looking for blood. And they were actually almost getting along. Which was terrifying, because they never got along, and even when they were forced to work together in the old days, something always blew up or caught fire (namely him).

Raven will consider the man’s woes, set down her tea cup, and tell him that she will see what she can do about her father, thank him for taking the time to inform her about what’s been going on, and praise him on his continued silence with who had given her the poison, before quietly slipping out.

She wonders sometimes how much he’s sacrificing to keep it all bottled up, or if he’s willing to acknowledge that it is now him, not her, who has the power to end all of his woes with her father, the angry parents, Snow White and her mother. With just one name he can legitimize the crime and leave Apple to face the consequences to their full extent; no questions, no wiggling out of it.

It would work because Raven wouldn’t be the whistle blower. She’d have legitimacy because she kept quiet, because that would be the only way for people to believe her is if she was known to be so ashamed by it that she “bravely” didn’t speak Apple’s name. But if Raven were to say anything, there would be questions, there would be accusations, and Apple would end up in the right and free because only Evil Queen’s cried foul on perfect princesses, while all of Raven’s hard-won freedoms would be taken away again.

Okay maybe that was an exaggeration, and an excuse for Raven not to confront it. Because there were people, a lot of people, who would back her up, and that Apple’s reputation would be in tatters regardless if her mother can get her out of it scot-free or not…

But that would mean that Raven would have to confront Apple, to learn to hate her enough to send her to the chopping block. On top of verbally shattering the princess’s world-views and perceptions about the villain side of the story. Crippling Apple’s enthusiasm to the point to where she left Raven well-enough alone was more than enough consolation.

It wasn’t as though the Queen family would ever need to awkwardly deal with Apple or her heirs ever again, that would be the duty left to a different villain family, Raven would make certain of it.

And she could never hurt Apple like that again. Hurt her with the power of truth. It wasn’t healthy, or sane, but… she just… couldn’t.

She’s pretty certain that the Headmaster does know all of this, and that is why he keeps meeting with her. He’s trying to beg her to take the heat, the outrage, and criticism, the victimization. Maybe he thinks that if Raven says it then all that Apple will have to do is give a verbal apology and then everything will go back to how it was before, maybe Raven will turn bitter enough to become evil, maybe this, maybe that, maybe, maybe, maybe.

It won’t though, people didn’t work like that, and Raven had bigger fish to fry with her own kingdom than this school of… privilege. Where the only worries were whether you played the part of a long-dead ancestor, or Rebelled against the silly costumes and roles.

It was… strange, just how insignificant and embarrassingly juvenile the Rebel versus Royal conflict really was in contrast to… well everything else. She had always known it of course, but it was difficult to remember those facts when Apple had used to dominate nearly every waking hour of Raven’s life.

Maybe Apple poisoning her was a blessing in disguise, in a twisted sort of way.

XXX

“They’ve gone and engaged me to Apple White.” Dexter declares shakily, stumbling into the room on trembling legs before collapsing onto Raven’s bed and curling up in the fetal position. “My parents just called to congratulate me for being personally picked by Queen Snow White as her daughter’s Prince Charming.”

Raven had an embarrassing moment where she couldn’t hide the guilt crossing her face as Cupid exclaimed her horrified: “ _What?_ ”, her speech reducing into stuttering between trying to be supportive, and outright disapproving.

So Raven took a long moment to compose herself while closing the door, quietly murmuring to an enchanted black mirror in the hall, with a feathered dragon etched into its dark glass (quite pretty, especially when it glowed at night) to give her ample warning when Ashlynn and Briar returned from their shopping spree in the city’s markets with the rest of the school’s news club, and if Maddie returned early from helping Faybelle and the Evil Fairy present their offer to Raven’s father and governmental leaders, to “ _make it worthwhile_ ” for the Thorn Clan to take over the responsibilities with the Evil Queen role.

“If this is something that you really don’t want, and you truly feel as though this will devolve into a loveless match, then matters can be arranged so that you may be spared such a fate.” Raven intoned as comfortingly as she could.

“Raven…” Dexter sighed tiredly. “Thanks for the offer, but you know how these things tend to work in places like Ever After… places like my home kingdom.”

“As it works with many realms with a monarchy.” Raven acknowledged regally (she’d been practicing). “Regardless, you both know well my personal feelings upon the subject of forced marriages, and while I may hold no claim to you, seeing as how we _work_ better as strictly platonic friends and allies than romantically enjoined Kings, I still hold you in high regard, and would like to see nothing but your happiness in life after our schooling. I think that you’ll find that you have many allies who would be willing to back you up should you decide to refuse this offer of Queen Snow White.”

“It’s true!” Cupid jumps in desperately, casting Raven a grateful glance. “Dexter, you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to!”

The boy casts them both a suspicious squint.

“It’s not an offer and you both know it. It’s already been… arranged.”

“They can’t do that!” Cupid cries out, beginning to pace.

“Yes they can.” Raven sighs before Dexter can snap the same sentiment out. Gently laying her hand upon Dexter’s hunched shoulder.

“This is barbaric!” Cupid continues, growing more upset.

“It is tradition.” Raven catches the boy’s eye and makes, what she hopes, is an understanding, knowing bob of her head. “It is what young Charming Princes are bred and raised for. It is… family honor.”

“Yes.” Dexter sniffs depressingly. “It is.”

“Well then it should be changed! Dexter is already ten times the Prince Charming than most of the others! He doesn’t need Apple to make him… complete!” Cupid plops down beside the boy’s head in an angry huff.

“Why are the two of you so against this?” The boy asks warily. “Not even a second has passed by and you two are going off as if it’s the end of the world!”

“Well of course we are.” Raven glares bitterly across the room. A sort of fiery resentment rising up in her chest unbidden. “Apple’s broken her own heart so many times… I’d be very worried for _anybody_ who gets stuck playing in _her_ story. Faybelle can take care of herself sure, but I’m still going to keep an eye out for her back if she needs it. Hex, at one point I was worried for _Daring_ , of all people, and his supposed doomed marriage to her!”

“Raven, my shoulder.” Dexter grunts.

The witch immediately loosens her grip, patting the joint apologetically. “Sorry. I’m just… sorry.” She slumps her shoulders guiltily.

“Raven…” Cupid’s fire seems to quench as well, she’s staring at Raven with large, soulful eyes. “Do you need to talk?”

Raven takes in a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. “Not now. Maybe not ever. Dexter’s future is more pressing right now.”

“Well if the two of you are planning to warn me against becoming a part of the most sought after fairytale for the Charming’s, and honoring my sworn duty to my family, and gaining the chance to get the most recognized Charming role in fairytales… you two are going to have to explain why you are freaking out so much!” Dexter snipped from the bed. “And no dodging, you both owe me an explanation. …You’re really making me worry.”

Raven sighed, unsure how to even start, let alone word everything.

Thankfully Cupid was far more articulate.

“Apple’s not going to want to have a real relationship Dexter. She just wants the fairytale, and as soon as your role in that has been played through she’ll want as little to do with you as possible!” The demi-goddess warned, with such conviction that Raven, despite already knowing these facts as nothing but foreshadowed truth, was left utterly taken aback. “I’ve spent a good deal of time cross analyzing her state of mind, and I’ve even talked to daddy about this at length. She’s convinced that a fairytale is going to make everything magically perfect and happy after the story, that if the whole ritual goes off perfectly then everything will be automatically handed to her. That she’ll just… not have to bother with living with the fact that life… is never perfect. A fairytale cannot automatically make every day of her life happy and care-free, cannot disappear the parts of herself that are not Snow White personified… cannot give her real love. She is a real person with flaws and wants outside of her role and becoming Snow White won’t make those aspects of herself go away!”

Dexter’s brows furrow in half-confusion, half-near-comprehension.

“Or make her a real ruler in the grand-scheme of things.” Raven sighed, really Cupid was making some good points, but the difference between her culture and theirs was that Cupid viewed arranged marriages as barbaric and inhumane, whilst Raven and Dexter had grown to see it as a tragic sort of fate for those born of the more, _Good_ (with the capital G inlaid with gold) noble families, and had to be handled with grace and fortified surrender.

“The White family, as you know, does not get involved in actually running their government Dexter, sure they may appear at charities and big fundraisers, but they never take any definitive stances or have a hand in their own politics outside of trying to appear as fair and pure as possible to the public. Hex, they rarely interact with anyone outside of their own kingdom save for when they throw those event balls or go to school. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that there is an unspoken tradition that the prince who marries Snow White tends to be pushed out of the spotlight immediately after the wedding! _I_ don’t even know what role Apple’s father plays into helping her mom run their estates and public appearances, I’ve lived with Apple as her roommate, I’ve seen her without her makeup and in hair curlers, and yet the number of times she’s mentioned her own father I can count on the fingers of one hand, and even then I’d have to make a fist to be completely accurate! The kicker is that I’ve met the man before! Over the summer. And I had originally mistaken him to be a nanny or a minor court advisor!”

It had been quite the surprise actually, and Raven was furiously thankful that she hadn’t made it completely obvious that she hadn’t a clue that the man had been the bloody ** _KING_** for Ancestors sake!... One minute she had been in the midst of what had to be her tenth discussion with the man about some topic (Raven couldn’t remember whether it had to do with royal dragon lineage, the number of various types of apples Raven’s homelands grew, or Raven’s father’s desire to bring in new technologies from other dimensions), over some delicious hot cider at the White family country mansion, while Apple had been off again to sulk and regroup after yet another misstep in getting Raven to trust her again, and then… and then…

And then the man who had introduced himself as Oliver, the same person- no, the _only_ person there that she had talked more than four sentences to at a time because he had felt safer to talk to than Apple or any of the frightened staff (who were oddly enough more nervous of Apple than Raven), said something. A very casual, innocent, something, and if Raven hadn’t been enjoying their conversation so much and thus was hanging on to his every word, would have missed it completely!

To say that her mind had been utterly blown would be an understatement.

Raven, out of morbid curiosity, and embarrassment, had decided to see when Apple would properly introduce Raven to her father, or have the three of them go out and do something, or… acknowledge his existence.

Raven waited, and waited, talked with the king some more over the summer, and even occasionally over the phone when Apple and Snow White had to rush off to do something important in the middle of a call home and had asked Raven to fill in on what had happened with the rest of Apple’s day (which Raven always knew about since Apple would not shut up in an attempt to fill the awkward silence in the dorm).

By the time Raven had realized that she wasn’t going to get any answers or even a chance to see and talk with sweet, kind, smart, Oliver ever again… she was in the school‘s intensive ward.

She may have cried after that, grieved both the loss of another potential friendship due to blasted “ _destiny_ ” once again, and the fact that she had grown more comfortable with being friends with Apple’s father rather than Apple herself.

Comprehension dawned on Dexter’s face. She may have vented an abridged version of the story to him, but to keep rumors from flying she just said in a truthful but vague way that her new friend was a court official Raven talked to on occasion, and yet Apple did not see the need to introduce Raven formally to as is custom and polite.

“Your friend Oliver? Oliver Charming, the man who became the King Prince Charming was who you were talking to?” The boy looks flabbergasted.

Raven looked pained. “I didn’t hear her call him daddy until my third visit to Ever After kingdom.”

Dexter knew how highly Raven valued friendships, even unlikely ones, so he took her hand while she made a big show of staring at a landscape painting and _not_ blinking back tears.

“Apple’s been lying to herself as well.” Cupid murmured, whether she was confused about what had been left unsaid or not, she did not show. “I… what lies in Apple’s heart is for her to discover and not my place to gossip about… But Raven is right: she is merely doing what she is told. All the things that her heart truly wants she is trying to bury, or ignore. If she does not accept that she desires more in life than what being a Snow White can provide… it _will_ destroy her Dexter. Mark my words on that. And it just might end up with her dragging the people closest to her down with her.”

“Huh.” Said Dexter after a significant moment of thought. “You know I had come in here expecting you guys to be talking about how my sister was the one to wake her up last time.”

“Well that was already obvious!” Cupid waved the boy’s musing away.

“If there was a gold coin to every non-Charming or female Charming that would have made a better match to satisfy the original potion-…” Raven shook her head. “We don’t use the original poison in the story Dexter, just one that’ll ensure that nobody questions the suitor that the parents have picked out beforehand.”

“Obviously!” Cupid snorted, rolling her eyes.

XXX

There was a division at the school.

Only this time there were no distinctive names being used, no clear lines drawn with ideals and posturing.

This time the division only happened between Apple and her two oldest friends. And that was all that there seemed to be about it. One minute everything had made sense with two distinctive school factions, and then in the next moment there had been nothing but confusion because no one could reliably blame Rebels or Royals for this, they tried, but were aggressively snapped at to butt out by the aforementioned trio of princesses.

“Things just built up to a breaking point I suppose.” Raven had shrugged in explanation. “It happens in relationships at times, when there is an issue or two that needs to be addressed and nobody does until somebody just can’t take it anymore and it just explodes. It’s something that I’ve been told had been coming for a long while, something came up to break the pretenses I suppose, and well… here we are.”

“Well why did you choose a side?” A girl with strange, curling pastel purple and white hair demanded, she had always been one of the nameless constants in the background, quick to spread rumors and still regarded Raven as if she were a diseased pustule, Raven had never learned her name but she had always thought that the girl’s hair-style and clothing were a generation or two out of date. It was the hair mostly, looked like candy floss flavored by that mouthwash the dentist made you swish after they cleaned your teeth.

“I didn’t.” Raven cast her and her posse a tired, unimpressed look. “I refused to take Apple’s side, and I’m not going anywhere near Ashlynn and Briar’s either. I merely stated that as long as it had nothing to do with the Rebels and their chances at pursuing their own paths in life then I would not… could not choose a side. This is a personal fight between them. I have no right to say that I deserve to get in the thick of something that is none of my business.”

“Well then why are Briar and Ashlynn always at your side and Apple is not?” Another girl, a villain with green and black _everything_ , snorted distrustfully, crossing her arms.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Raven stated honestly, humorlessly. “I merely woke up in the school healing ward one day and was dutifully informed that they had won me in the divorce. I had no input in that decision. Haven’t had the energy to even walk to class all by myself let alone investigate what that was all about, and this was especially true when I was confined to a bed for a good portion of the first half of the school year. So don’t ask why I didn’t demand to know about why everybody has been calling this a divorce or why they got sole custody of me and shared custody of Blondie.”

There were a lot more bewildered looks being shared all ‘round.

Huh. Guess that inside joke wasn’t nearly as well-known as Raven had thought.

“Was you getting poisoned why the pretenses were broken? ‘Cause I was there when they started fighting outside the Healing wing, it was really scary and I’ve never seen Ashlynn or Briar so angry before.” Asked a painfully shy first-year, a Rebel if Raven recalled correctly. She was tiny and meek despite her bravely being unwavering in her desire not to get stuffed into a pumpkin by her husband-to-be. Hunter expressed his concern to Raven about the girl’s particular case since her husband-to-be had graduated two years earlier, and he was an even bigger bully now than he had been in school. It certainly didn’t help that his younger sibling was almost as nasty, and still in school.

Duchess had turned fiercely protective funnily enough, got the girl switched with a different nursery rhyme, the one with Mary and her flowers, within a week of Hunter’s concerns coming to light. The other Rebels, and even a few Royals had contacted their parents to look into it, and the parents had dealt with the man she had been betrothed to swiftly, and with such efficiency that the Headmaster was still trying to wrap his head around how Peter Pumpkin Eater had wound up with three consecutive sentences and warrants for his arrest in six countries.

Raven gave Peppi Pumpkin Eater (she was also Peter’s third cousin, which, ew.) a one-armed hug to show that it was alright to ask the question. “I’ve asked Briar and Ashlynn not to tell me since Apple hasn’t made a single move to try to get me back as her roommate. I think that Apple could use a bit of space from me and my Rebellious cause right now to be honest.”

Candy floss raised a brow. “I thought that you and Apple were best friends?”

“Roommates. Just… roommates really. We always tried to do our best to get along despite our differences… and… Apple had always held such high hopes of me becoming very powerful and wicked no matter whether I became her villain or not. Suffice to say I have been informed that she seems to be extremely disappointed that I had been poisoned so easily, not exactly my best moment as far as villainy is concerned. They keep telling me how sad she is to have realized that even if I had stuck with tradition I’d have made a very disappointing Evil Queen.”

It was half-spite, half-cover-up, but no one would think to ask too many questions that could lead to Apple being fingered as the poisoner, nor would Raven be accused of outright lying if the truth did come out.

Candy floss made a face. “That can’t be true. She used to hang all over you. She’s the fairest of all of us. Why would she be…?” The girl struggles for words since Apple had made little secret of just what she thought of the Rebels and their blood-heritage being something one just could not fight.

“Uncharitable?” Peppi supplied quietly.

“Yes! That’s the word!”

“All I know is that Apple never once tried to visit me when I was bedridden and she hasn’t tried to speak a word to me since I had been poisoned.” Raven mumbled bitterly, burying her face into Peppi’s red-orange hair, breathing in the smell of vanilla and lavender that Ashlynn sprayed on the girl at every opportunity. To help with the younger’s anxiety attacks.

It had been only selectively true, and highly uncharitable of Raven to have said such things, but she could feel guilty about it later. Just because Raven cared enough to keep her trap shut, did not mean that she wasn’t bitterly angry that it had happened at all. It was difficult to care about Apple’s side of the story when Raven still had to deal with persistent heartburn and nightmares.

She’s allowed to be imperfect, to be human, to be a witch. Unlike Apple, Raven is allowed to feel hurt and justified in her actions.

“We don’t speak anymore. That is all I know about the situation.”

XXX

Of course out of all the things that the Headmaster is blind to happening right under his own nose it is this slip of the tongue that winds up with the interesting encounter where the Headmaster tries to hiss warnings at her to not bad mouth the country’s heir apparent, while Giles commends her and tries to subtly get her to come forward with what they all know to be truth, but can’t do anything about because-she-won’t-talk-about-it.

It’s almost funny, in a sad way.

Apple of course has immediately made up her own excuses which most of her usual fans fall for easily, and most of the Rebels cry foul over, but Raven, in a strange twist, cannot bring herself to care enough to find out what she’s telling people. Does not want to look too closely on what’s happening there, she has classes to complete, Healers to poke and prod her, and an entire country to learn to run. She honestly cannot muster the effort to linger on her hurt, on Apple’s hurt, on their combined everything-left-unsaid.

Because Raven has her Rebels to look after and protect, has tea with Giles, and acts as a sounding board for the Headmaster who is navigating his own little drama with her parents and Snow White, is growing trade relations through her friendships with monarch’s children through her classes, is supporting and tutoring Dexter in his dream to become a Charming King (whether he’ll wind up marrying Apple is still up in the air) through intelligence instead of force, Faybelle to formally be crowned as the Evil Fairy Queen once all pretenses of candidate screening are through, is dragged to therapy sessions with Cupid where they both vent their frustrations and the winged girl does not judge Raven on anything. Just supports. Which is nice.

Ashlynn and Hunter mother her, Briar commandeers her as a nap buddy (which is high acceptance coming from Briar), Maddie is still Raven’s closest and most valued friend, her father preparing for the day she’d take the throne at his side, her mother had been transferred to a place where she could receive the mental health care she’ll need, and she too expressed a reluctant stirring of pride for her daughter to have secured a memorable place in history at such a young age, even Snow White had given a small bit of distracted support here and there now that Raven (inadvertently) had provided the woman with every means to ensure Apple had a perfect story.

Before Raven had known what was happening the months had flown by with graduation coming up fast.

It had come as a shock since she wasn’t exactly in the right sort of mind to keep track of days, and thus time had appeared to sneak up on her.

It was about this time when Raven had completely lost track of Apple and her daily goings on. Which was also a shock, but at the time the witch had assumed that graduation preparations would have the princess all a flutter in a vocal sort of way now that she had everything she had ever wanted.

But Raven would not be attending the graduation ceremony itself. Nor any days after the final tests had been handed in for the year. Her father had turned into a paranoid sort after Raven’s poisoning, and despite the Headmaster’s emotional pleas to allow at least this one tradition pass by untouched and to “For ancestor’s sake, just let the girl walk and be honored by her ancestors by the sacred ceremony of-!” “It’s a bunch of anxiety ridden teenagers in funny crowns marching in a line to show that they’ve completed their studies. There is nothing sacred about that save for the energy spent on kids going through meltdowns because now they’ve gotta learn how to deal with the family business and be put to work for realsies! Stubborn old man!”

He just knew that Raven had the sort of luck where something big and scary would go down on graduation because that was just how things _worked_ at that school, and if Raven weren’t so insistent on getting her basics degree there, added with his wife’s unusually soft argument not to allow the enemy to see weakness in their little baby, and Giles swearing on his own life that he’d personally see to her protection, then he would have taken her out effective immediately, like the second he got over the initial heart attack of hearing that his only daughter had been poisoned!

And he wasn’t the only one who thought something might happen. The entire school was almost sure of it too.

Kitty was making a killing selling Wonderland bunka-bunka shells-turned-helmets to frightened lower years.

You know since the seniors weren’t allowed to wear armored protection while on display during the ceremony.

Nobody in senior year thought that was particularly fair.

So Raven had been quietly packed up and smuggled away an hour after the last exam was finished and everyone was focusing on getting ready to either party or pass out, the witch herself grumbling the whole way at being treated like an invalid, but not resisting. Briar, Ashlynn, and the few others who were in the know had also caught her father’s paranoia bug apparently and so had covered up Raven’s departure by pretending that she was still at school. Just, you know too busy preparing for graduation and assuming her father’s title to be seen all that often.

“Oh you just missed her!”

“I better take this food up to little miss workaholic.”

“Bye Raven! Don’t forget to- oh! So sorry for yelling in your ear! That blur that just passed you just keeps forgetting to take her shoes off before collapsing into bed she’s just so tired lately!”

It got to the point to where random people were saying that they had lunch or talked to Raven, even when they obviously didn’t, or they kept hallucinating every dark haired girl in the corner of their eyes to be her.

They even fooled the Headmaster! For a day or seven at least…

Which was kind of sad.

And explained a lot about how he ran his school.

It was a richly deserved surprise to him when she never showed up to dress rehearsals as far as Raven was concerned. Witnesses reported him tearing at his hair in frustration, but all in all and aside from watching a grown man go through a conniption fit in public, the rehearsals went rather well.

But in the end it had been a good idea to retrieve Raven, a very good idea, because, lo and behold, something did end up happening, as it had been predicted and expected and…

It hadn’t been much of a surprise okay? All the major trouble happened during big events where everyone gathered in the past, because _certain_ individuals wanted Raven to become evil and what better way to help that along than to sway public opinion and put pressure on her to follow destiny?

And this time was no different.

The only difference this time was that people got hurt, whereas in the past nothing had managed to get killed as a direct result of destiny-enforcing shenanigans.

No students or staff or parents had died during the graduation debacle but…

Someone had poisoned the food meant for Raven. The food that was part of the charade, gathered in front of people and talked about because Briar was positive something drastic might happen to Raven if people knew where she was, and Ashlynn had pitied the Good King’s worry and played along, and it was brought to Sparrow and Hopper to have a taste or sip of everything like always. They weren’t let in on the plan either because Sparrow was a loudmouth and Hopper was always on the lookout to find a way to impress Briar, and Faybelle was not taking kindly to the amphibian boy not taking a hint and therefore didn’t think he deserved to be in on anything that concerned her girlfriend. They would have questioned why they’d have to stop their tasting routine anyway, so it was just as well.

They never found out who the poisoner was, however it was easy to see from the evidence and the type of poison used that the perpetrator had done their research… for the potion used was well made with an exact dose laced into the tray’s contents, the potion itself had to be extremely exact in order for it to work as intended with no missteps.

It had to be calculated, right down to Raven’s weight, height, and blood type.

Too much and the potion could take a dangerous turn on the body, too little and there wouldn’t be enough in the body to have the wanted influence. Those were the fine-print instructions that would later be found in a restricted copy of a spellbook, after the Healer’s had analyzed and identified the poison. After they had sent questions out to highly specialized experts during the course of the investigation.

After graduation day ended in a shambles and had to be postponed, later dropped completely for the graduating class.

It was speculated amongst the most cynical and paranoid that the poisoner might have had previous experience with substances so restricted that even villains weren’t allowed to use them.

…But they had also been painfully new to this sort of crime. That was something even a half-wit could deduce, because they had not thought to consider what effects even a tiny dose may have on somebody. If they had wanted something untraceable then they should have used something like that, or at least figured out a different way of administrating the dose needed.

Or they simply didn’t care…

That was the difficulty of poisons; even the smallest dose could have an effect, even if it wasn’t enough to duel out the intended effect. Even when both Hopper and Sparrow were a great deal heavier and bigger than Raven. It was still a potion, a poison type potion, and poisons always did something, even in tiny amounts.

But it was Hopper’s frog form, his teeny, tiny frog form, that suffered the most harm.

He was lucky though, they had rushed him off to the Healing ward in a state of blind panic when instead of poetically reciting love sonnets he had let out a long, rolling, inhuman squeaking scream (one that was only usually heard from certain breeds of toads but Hopper was always an exception to certain rules of nature), and his body had seized, biting (or gumming, since he had no teeth) Briar’s hand in either animalistic blind rage, or pain, nobody could tell.

Faybelle ended up having to kiss him, twice, because Briar was in the throes of the same sort of mental meltdown she had when Raven had called her phone and told them that she had been poisoned and was probably going to die soon, and Hopper was just as equally freaked out that someone had actually tried to poison Raven, again, and that there was a mad poisoner loose in the school.

Hopper ended up receiving more kisses from random classmates that day than he had in his entire _life_ , even the boys had been called in at random intervals, all in order to keep him from reverting back into a frog where the poison could end up killing him.

Sparrow (possibly the only sane one there) had been freaking out over having eaten bits of poisoned food, but in this instance nobody was going to fault him for his unheroic stampede to the Healing wing and three-hour tantrum.

The Healers did say that the small dose he had consumed would make him rather emotional for a while… even if nobody could discern the difference from the usual way he acted.

Because the poison had been designed to cause hormonal imbalances, increased aggression, paranoia, lack of empathy, constant alertness… and an increase of magical outbursts to the magically inclined.

Or in other words to turn the intended target _evil_ for a while. At the very least make the intended target look as if they’d picked up a random drug addiction.

Here’s the thing about things intended to turn someone evil: they don’t. Not in actuality.

Sure it may be advertised as a sure-fire way to turn someone evil, but when you take the time to break down the ingredients and the symptoms… it doesn’t turn people evil. Just chemically induces a psychotic break where your body is literally fighting with itself and everything around it, because- surprise, surprise- right at that moment every instinct and nerve ending is screaming that there is danger at every turn and you need to defend yourself, like yesterday.

Which is why those kind of substances are banned, even in the villain community: they don’t actually do as advertised.

Just like Wonderlandian role-reversal spells don’t actually force someone to do things that are the opposite to one’s character. That actually brings out the things that, you’ve actually always wanted to do in the tiny most secret parts of your psyche but the overwhelming majority of your dominate personality buries all these secret desires under a mountain of other things, because life is complicated and there is just not enough room and time to discover or connect with all this stuff about you.

That and common sense. One does not strap tiny rocket fireworks to their roommate’s stolen rollerblades and not expect to get injured.

Also all humans are omnivores by nature, it is natural to crave meat despite personal choices to not eat the cute, fluffy ( ~~delicious prey~~ ) animals.

Or like when you’ve just survived a crazed court jester hell-bent on killing you in the most painful way possible, and then all of a sudden you get this power boost to help defend yourself and the people you care the most about, and yeah, you are a bit high-strung at the moment and you’ve never liked homicidal clowns in the first place! And… maybe you don’t exactly care about the high ground nearly so much and would really like the nightmare to end by destroying the monster who just tried to kill you, you know since the homicidal clown isn’t going to hesitate hurting you, in fact the clown would only watch you scream your last in amusement before tossing your body away like so much trash. Since your life and everything you were or could have been doesn’t matter to her at all!

Like hypnotism. Only lots more dangerous. You don’t do anything that your body and instincts don’t want to do in the first place! Whether it’s out of necessity to protect oneself from an apparent threat or…

…Or to remedy a deep-seated hatred, destroy all the things that have ever made you anxious or worthless even if that thing is an entire country! Even if you have a responsibility towards that country because you are supposed to become the next ruler! The heir to the throne who is supposed to be perfect and pretty and not a hair out of place. And you keep telling yourself that you love the duty, love the stability, love all the expectations and, hey, I was bred for this so it’s no biggie I love my country and all the responsibilities that I owe to it since the second I had been conceived!

Except you don’t.

Not really. Because all you’ve ever wanted was to be happy.

You pretend because there is no escape.

The poisoned tray had been dropped to the ground. Left unattended in the haste to save a Frog Prince.

The poisoner had also attempted to get rid of evidence, supplies used, including food packages and excess potion by burying it by a little-used riverbank.

At the school Faybelle had shouted at any nearby villains, who were taught about safely handling poisons, to conduct a level eight minor contamination quarantine and bottle of the poisoned food and drink.

Birds, insects, and rodents, being the scavengers that they are had uprooted the entire kit buried under the loose silt of the bank, spilling some in the water where it was teeming with hungry fish. Due to the sweet taste of the poison they immediately tucked in.

It took a while before they’d figured out that all the rabid and dead animals running around had been an unintended accident. Not a deliberate act.

But it had been too late; it had entered the food chain and spread like a plague until the serum’s magical half-life had spent itself. Because poisons are unpredictable when not contained, and not used for the right target and species intended. They were finicky and the slightest change in magical or chemical reaction could have drastic effects, this was why villains either personally handled the brewing of poisons or cut out any risks and simply charmed the poisoned objects to be used for their intended target only. Hex! Most villains didn’t even use poisonous potions anymore! Or used them at all in the first place! Too much could go wrong! There were tomes upon tomes of alternatives to poisons, the intended victim’s full medical history had to be accounted for, so that there was little to no possibility of killing someone! That’s why the villainous track was the toughest to get through. As villains you needed to be in control at all times, it was the villain’s job to make sure the fairytale goes off without a hitch and the worst case scenario does not happen.

This was why villains were so feared, they had to be damn good all so that the Good families got to have their coming of age ceremony as expected and without any unexpected worst case scenario. Maiden roles were more like jokes in comparison to what a hero and villain have to go through in order to make sure everything happens as it should. It took work, but it needed to be done.

Because if the worst case scenario happens… you can’t do anything but sit down and look at the tally and maybe cry, because the finale of these type of stories always ends in numbers.

 _4 human villagers grew severely ill_ ; contaminated fish, _21 comatose_ ; adverse reactions to contaminated food, _7 critical condition_ ; violent outbursts from affected animals and people, _120 injured_ ; mostly villagers though many students had gone against strict orders to not try to help save the animals affected or people from the animals, _12 miles of fishing streams closed_ _off_ ; fish were attacking and dying off making areas of water dyed red with blood, _1 royal decree_ _of emergency_ ; by the Queen of Ever After, _1 very ticked off Evil Queen_ ; obviously, _2 formal_ _decrees of immediate and full criminal action against poisoner_ ; Queen of Ever After and Queen family respectively, _1 royal decree to allow Evil Queen to lend out her expertise on the case_ ; Queen of Ever After somewhat surprisingly, _1 request to Good King to make current Queen of_ _Ever After top ally in the matter_ ; Evil Queen very surprisingly, and _300 royal pardons for the Evil_ _Queen_ ; from various royal households so that if there is ever a need for someone to hunt down a mass poisoner _she’ll_ be the hell-hound they’ll be releasing.

Giles, in an unusually vindictive mood, had read this very list aloud to the frightened students assembled in the basement under the library, staying there for protection until an all clear was given out and everybody got to go home. To inform them of the gravity of the situation and also to reassure them. Because when they worked together a possessive monarch of Ever After and one angry Mama Evil Queen equaled a force not to be sniffed at.

Most people seemed to be reassured by this. And why not? Both women were scary enough on their own, working together for once against a common threat that no one liked seemed like a perfect win-win situation!

But Giles wasn’t, he held enough suspicions to hold a firm belief, and he was far from reassured. And he wanted the perpetrator to know (Apple. He wanted Apple to know. He stared her down. Right in the eye. As he had been talking. Ashlynn had been there and Hunter was doing the same staring thing at Apple too for good measure, right up until they were all told to go home), that he knew, and that it was only a matter of time. Because he was _ticked_ , and he was not going anywhere, so they (Apple) were _so screwed right now_.

Raven, safe and back in her father’s country, hadn’t been nearly as reassured either.

One little prank, one silly little attempt to turn her evil. That was what it probably would have been seen as if it had all gone through as planned. Harmless they would say once Raven came back to her senses, and Apple would apologize, because she had been caught, and she was a good little girl. She would feel guilty, remorseful, maybe she would even have had the chance to speak to Raven alone, offer even more sincere apologies, get one last word in about destiny and how Raven was throwing her entire life away, before leaving the witch to her fate.

If this was the case it would be good for Apple! …Maybe. Because she’d see Raven as a lost cause and find herself some closure. She’d be the desperate maiden who finally saw Raven for the deadbeat villain the witch truly was, she’d finally be able to move on, to her fairytale ending, to her perfect life, and when people asked her about her friendship with the Rebel Raven Queen, Apple would sigh pityingly and tell a tale of how being unable to forgive others made a daughter of a villain so very bitter (from being humiliated and brutalized but no one would dare choose Raven’s side over Apple’s) and woe was Apple’s broken heart for trying to save a _lost cause_.

And so on and so forth: all Raven’s fault, not Apple’s. Raven bad villain, Apple good maiden.

Okay, maybe Raven was over exaggerating here, but you have to admit that this scenario does hold a taste of actual fairytale logic. Apple might’ve tried to keep telling herself something along these lines, but seeing as she is a _real person_ and not a personification of beautiful royalty superiority… it would haunt her. It would haunt her for the rest of her life most likely.

Well… maybe Apple might run away after the princess asked why Raven kept her trap shut about the first go around with being poisoned. Maybe throw up because she would be so revolted that Raven could still love her enough to… leave Apple the hell alone.

And since Raven would be fed up and sooo done with all of this she’d tell Apple the truth. That Raven is in love with Apple despite everything! That despite Apple being an abusive and horrible person Raven still had feelings because people were complicated and messy and yes, Raven is very bitter about Apple and regretted she had ever met Apple, but that still didn’t mean Raven wanted Apple to _suffer_. Just… leave Raven alone. Because Raven used to believe that Apple was a good person… and now Raven is heartbroken and deeply disappointed that Apple never lived up to actually being the good girl.

And knowing Apple’s relationship with truths about Raven’s _entire existence_ … she’d probably never bother the witch ever again. _Love conquered all_ after all, even psychotic homophobic ex-best friends/ roommates. Not only would Apple not have the moral upper hand if Raven played the L-card, but the princess would surely be disturbed enough to leave Raven well enough alone.

Maybe, if Raven didn’t send her children to the same school as Apple’s, then just… maybe it would be over.

All… completely… harmless…

There was no proof that it had been Apple though.

Could have been anybody really.

Probably not… but maybe?

Maybe someone… surely someone else was capable of this.

A fan of Apple’s? A Royal extremist? Maybe?

And Raven wasn’t going to point fingers at Apple without some serious solid proof to back her up. To convince her as well since…

_“Raven how could you?”_

…This was just…

_“What about my happily ever after Raven?”_

…not…

_“Why are you doing this to me?”_

…The Apple she knew….

_“You were supposed to be my villain!”_

…It-… it couldn’t be…

_“I won’t have a happily ever after if you don’t follow your destiny!”_

It couldn’t!

XXX

Yet it was.

It was Apple. All Apple.

Apple had gotten everything she had wanted. She had gotten a truly competent villain in Faybelle, she had the smart and capable Dexter as her prince, she still had her spotless reputation, her kingdom, her throne, an absolute certainty that her longed for perfect fairytale would go off without a hitch, and most importantly of all she did not have to be anywhere in the same room nor country as the queer and imperfect Raven Queen who became a Good King despite being a _girl_ and who married the daughter of a foreign magistrate to make Raven’s queen!

All Apple had to do after all of it was said and done was have a child, then her story would be complete.

She had gotten everything. Everything that Raven could never have been capable of providing even if Raven had _wanted_ to be the next Evil Queen. Apple had gotten away with multiple counts of accidental attempted murder and terrorism!

Not even Raven’s own mother had manage to murder anybody! A feat unto itself considering how powerful her mother is… but then again all her mother ever did was create great big ominous swirling clouds in the sky. Scary looking yes, but actual big bad curse clouds? Raven wasn’t so sure that it wasn’t all just theater, especially since it had taken so little effort to pardon her mother of everything and…

Raven knew her mother was the Evil Queen, is very evil, but fairytale evil. Not murderess evil. Not almost-killed-someone-with-poison evil.

Not Apple’s evil.

It had seemed like a sure bet that Apple had learned her lesson and would finally leave Raven alone. Once her ceremonial story was completed Apple would have no viable reason to try to turn Raven evil. For Apple had gotten everything she could ever want.

She had gotten an absolutely certain life of stability.

Just as Apple had always wanted.

It was going to be perfect for little miss perfectionist.

Apple had been less than a week away from her fairytale, three years of preparations and planning to make sure everything went flawlessly, even Raven’s own mother would attend to ensure the still-at-large mysterious mass poisoner from graduation day would not step a toe near Apple or the White family.

Yet apparently not even that was enough.

The day it had happened had been chaos, Raven’s mother had almost killed herself transporting the poisoned king and queen, Faybelle, and as many nearby staff as she could magically manage all the way to the Good King’s palace. Most everyone suffered from burns or smoke inhalation, some were dead, the royal couple had been poisoned, and Raven’s mother, who also suffered burns and had smoke in her lungs, had been dosed with some kind of magical dampening agent that was supposed to be used for transporting volatile objects, not to be ingested.

The king had been unconscious because he drank a larger amount of the poisoned wine, but her mother managed to stabilize Snow White enough to get the other woman to vomit back up any remaining poison and sacrificed her own safety in order to keep the royal couple breathing.

“It was Appleseed.” Her mother managed to warn through struggling breaths and a throat scrubbed raw by black smoke, still clinging to Snow White. Who was looking dumbfounded with fear. “She’s lost- **_kuffcoffhurk_** _gasp!_ \- her mind!” Then shortly after this she passed out in the other queen’s lap.

By the end of the week of nail biting tension and panic it was revealed that Apple had declared herself the new Evil Queen and had forcibly “married” Dexter against his will. Apple had escalated, no longer even pretending to be a fair maiden any longer just as she had always done. Just as how she had always gotten away with doing bad things.

It had always been Apple. From the very beginning. Going from popular girl bully trying to at least act like she was a good person to no longer even trying to pretend even though she had won!

Why?

Why had it come to this?

The day Apple tried to assassinate her own parents and declare herself the new Evil Queen and began implementing harshly cruel and unusual means to harm her own country because “Evil Queens are supposed to be EVIL!!!!” was the day Raven’s heart broke all over again.

XXX

Vice-stone manages to keep the rest of her present heads of government silent with merely a glance, though the others who work in similar fields helped him with their pointed looks.

It is only after each of them gives their accounts of what happened at school, the secrets and the festering drama kept hidden from view, that her country’s Head of Defense helps her back to her feet, and gives her someone to lean on as he leads her to sit back on the spacious seat of the wooden and blue silk padded throne at the back of the room.

“Apple never has had the affinity to ask the right sort of questions.” Briar states soon after Raven has been seated and given something to drink. “She’s all about how things appear to her at first glance, and then once she’s got her mind made up that things have to be a certain way she’ll do anything to try to replicate what she’s got in her head into real life. She’s never asked why things can’t be different or unique, or why she wasn’t looking into the reasons that people weren’t following their scripts to the letter like her. Ancestors only know why, but that’s just how she is. Her turning evil all of a sudden must follow some form of logical thought in her mind. She’s very literal, Apple is.”

Briar had been the last to give her account of events, and frankly Raven is a bit shaken that there had been so much unspoken history between the two former best friends. That so much had built up and by the time Raven had been poisoned and Apple had come running to Briar looking for a shoulder to cry on.

…But instead of the friend that had always been there to tell Apple that she was right, or to be Apple’s deputy in all things related to being a princess…

As it had turned out Briar had always harbored a shred of fear of Apple, something that only grew from a guilty little sliver of a thought that surfaced every so often to-… to a real and tangible thing, like discovering that scratching noise outside your bedroom window wasn’t a tree branch after all. It had been a growing suspicion as Briar came to realize that she wasn’t going to become Sleeping Beauty, that she was going to have to fight Apple in order to keep her from treating her the same way she was treating Raven.

Hell, Apple didn’t even act sad at the idea that she’d never see Briar again if she became Sleeping Beauty. She didn’t even shed one tear over it, just gave Briar a look of pity and shrugged her shoulders, as if Briar’s feelings _didn’t matter!_ As if the idea of sleeping for a hundred years only to be forced to marry a stranger and live in a world that was alien to her didn’t matter because it wasn’t going to happen to Apple and so she didn’t care!

Oh yeah, Apple could spin pretty speeches to make people believed she cared but her actions spoke worlds about just how little she cared about anyone save for how it might affect _her_.

Briar hadn’t seen the friend she’d known for years when Apple had confessed to poisoning Raven with truth serum.

Rather it had been the shock of seeing something with overgrown claws, hungry eyes and a perverted long-tongued smile staring back at her through the bedroom curtains.

In terms of flight or fight Briar was all for fighting. Throwing whatever she could get her hands on, especially if it was sharp, and could produce lots of damage. Take them out before they could take her out.

Ashlynn was more flight by nature apparently, but give her something that needed protecting and she’d be on the front lines swinging an iron frying pan like an irate mother keeping the toothy things away from her brood.

“After what happened to Raven, Ash and I both knew that we couldn’t just stand by, otherwise it’d never end. I’m sorry Raven I know that you like to think otherwise but Apple’s never backed down from something in her life, stopping is not in her vocabulary. And… I guess we were both pretty fed up ourselves, ever since your friendship got so strained after the whole dragon thing she sort of turned her attention on us and… man was she getting controlling. It was way too much and way too far up in our personal space if you know what I mean. Something had to give after what she did to you.”

“But yet none of you said anything, to Lord Giles Grimm.” Vice-stone speaks softly, neutrally. Carefully so.

Faybelle snorts in disgust. “Who would have believed them? It would have been like ten times worse than Legacy Day with people picking sides, plus the fact that Ever After is Apple’s home turf, _plus, plus_ her mother is the most revered Snow White in generations. Face it; nobody was going to do anything against little miss perfect.”

“But you did.” The man sounds confident. As though pieces of a complex puzzle he had been attempting to work over for the past two weeks were finally falling into place. “You took away her story.”

“Sir… we gave her a prince and a villain.” Raven protests.

“But not the prince or villain she had envisioned for herself. Think your Grace; she never gave up on attempting to claim you as a bad guy in her story, no one else but you and your blood seemed to suffice, and as for her prince… well what is the main characteristic of a Prince Charming? Snow White only meets the man for the first time after he falls for her corpse’s beauty and then kisses her because he is sad that something that looks so pretty will soon decay and be gone forever am I correct.”

“Yesss.” Says Maddie from the doorway, (keeping watch incase Raven’s father tries to sneak away from his meeting and eavesdrop) she gifts the rough direction towards Ever After with a vindictive leer.

“…If you want to look at things from an unromantic point of view…” Faybelle shudders.

“And she has always been very literal with Fairytale interpretations, am I correct?”

“Hex yes!” Briar throws up her hands. “She’s perfectionist personified.”

“Where are you going with this Vice?” Mayweather pleads. “I know that you’ve come up with a theory… that or you’re just confirming a theory you’ve already been musing over for who knows how long, honestly you and your mysteries-… now if you would just stop it and share it with the rest of the class?”

“Now, now sir, I need all of the facts first.” Vice-stone placates distractedly. “…Wasn’t the first Snow White poisoned three times?”

The four young adults go deathly silent.

“No…” Briar’s eyes widen in horror.

“I’m gonna kill that blonde busybody! Stealing a story from a villain? Fuck no!” Faybelle swears some more under her breath but it grows quieter and quieter as her seething coils under shocked realization. “…Oh dear gods…”

“ _Me_?” Raven chokes incredulous. Voice hoarse from emotion. “ _What-? Why on this green gifted dimensional world_ -!”

“It’s a theory. But you have to admit, there is a bit of meat on this bone here. If she can no longer see herself as a perfectly good Maiden anymore then she’ll be an imperfectly bad Villain to balance destiny out. In a way, or at least in her eyes, she may be thinking that after all of the things she has done, and all of the blunders that have resulted in you turning your back on her and cutting her out of your life completely, that it was all destiny in the end. Her true destiny was to never become her envisioned perfect Snow White, because in her mind, she is now the villain of your story.”

A beat.

“…I… Why doesn’t this surprise me as much as it should?” Raven groans her head aches. “Of course she’d think that. This is Apple we’re talking about here!”


	2. Life Doesn't Come With A Reset Button

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!  
> There are homophobic and misogynistic themes in this chapter. It's not as graphic as it could be, and for some people it may not upset them, but for some people it may be upsetting.
> 
> Before you continue on I advise you get something to eat and drink, perhaps sleeping. This would be a very good point to take a break if you came here directly after reading the previous chapter.
> 
> I also advise you listen to some creepy music while reading this. It adds a lot to the experiance trust me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First: No the stork does not actually bring babies in this story. It was just an excuse Snow White gave to Apple so that she could avoid having to tell Apple about sex until she absolutely had to, which would be just before Apple wedding night.  
> Real mother of the year, that Snow White.
> 
> Also, in this story Ashlynn is kind of a third wheel when it comes to Apple's friendships, like, she's close to Briar and Apple's close to Briar, but between Ashlynn and Apple it's more like a queen and her lady-in-waiting. As if Ashlynn was the spare for when Briar went away.  
> I wanted to explore an inversion of the queer-character-against-the-world trope, and I also tried my best to make Apple's more problematic traits really rise to the top and once you take away her maidenly charm she's a lot less endearing to be around. However, what I struggled most with was making her almost sympathetic as she spirals out of control while at the same time walking through her thought process, because bigoted homophobic people make my skin crawl on a good day so I really cannot accurately write what someone with those tendencies, on top of being a dependent personality, would be thinking. All I know is that Apple in this story has a lot of inaccurate misconceptions about the realities of ceremonial stories (because Snow White) and it's more than just she fears she'll disappear if she doesn't fulfill it. Plus Apple is super dependent on not only what others think of her but also she is just too dependent on Raven to make it all better.  
> At any rate i've done what I could to convey everything i've wanted. Perhaps not in the super epic way i had half planned but then again Apple pre-accepting-her-evil side is a lot less fun to write.  
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Seriously, put on some creepy horror music while you read this, it helps convey everything I didn't have the energy to properly express!

No matter what she does all it amount to is to bring pain and suffering to those around her.

All the good she tries to do, all that effort to do what she is told she must do, always amounts to nothing. She has always strived to be the best good girl in the room, has tried to ensure everyone stays on track just as they are supposed to do. She has done everything she has ever been told that she must do, so that she will be ensured happiness forever and ever. She has sacrificed and cried and done everything ever expected of her with the promised guarantee of safety, security, and her happy life after taking the throne.

Yet it always collapses before her eyes.

Daring… had always been an abstract idea that Apple always figured that she would have to deal with at a later date. That was why she insisted that he get his philandering ways over and done with while in school, why she told him to essentially keep his distance from her until it was time to deal with him. Until the day came where she would have to take the time to discipline him, and change him until he was no longer a prince who flirted just as easily as he breathed, but her husband in his supporting role to the throne. He would have to change after he woke her up, become more serious, break him of his need to stare into mirrors or flirt, but she would allow him his space while in school.

She owned the rest of his life after all.

Briar was to be the friend Apple would miss, but Apple always set aside thoughts of that reality until later. Apple had known there would be pain when Briar was due to go away so Apple wrote up a list of why Briar going away would be a good thing and continued to add to that list so that it would not hurt when it was time for Briar to go. So that Apple would never forget the importance of why it was a good thing that Briar went away. So that Apple would be able to let go and continue carrying on without her best friend.

Ashlynn was to marry a prince fitting of her station and be the one Apple would confide in when Briar went away. Not a replacement, but someone who would fill the void Briar would leave behind. Perhaps Ashlynn may be a bit… dull in comparison to Briar… and it had always been Ashlynn and Briar together when playing with Apple while growing up… never really… just Ashlynn… she had originally been the friend that Briar took a shine to first and had become Apple’s friend shortly after that… but things would change for Ashlynn once she became a queen, little doubt she would need Apple’s guidance all the time! Ashlynn was a teensy bit hopeless without Apple or Briar around, too soft spoken and meek really, and not in a maiden-like way but a… well. She just needed to have someone around to keep from fading into the wallpaper.

Raven though.

Raven was to be Apple’s crowning jewel. Raven was supposed to be the key for Apple’s eternal happiness, Apple’s ultimate reward for all of the hard work she had put into achieving her destiny. Raven was born specifically for Apple’s destiny to come true, crafted over generations of noble breeding to give Apple the personification of perfection in villainy.

The daughter of the greatest Evil Queen in history, a specimen of beauty that outshone all the rest and was only second to Apple herself. Intelligent, witty, sarcastic, Raven held herself up regally like a queen and had the instinct of villainy in her every subconscious movement. Powerful beyond belief as even her own magic can barely be contained. Crafted to perfection, the key to her guaranteed happiness, Raven would provide Apple all the magic needed to ensure Apple never had to be afraid ever again.

Apple envisioned in her dreams how Raven would turn to her with an evil glint in her eye and flair up with he twisted violet magic. Reaching forth to ensnare Apple whole. Safe, inside the core of Raven’s power, Apple would be given her reward.

In her dreams Apple could taste the sweetness of the poison.

Apple craved for her dreams to become reality.

Raven was supposed to be Apple’s and Apple’s alone.

So why keep fighting destiny?

Why would Raven fight what she was born to be?

Why did villainy not come as naturally to Raven as it should have?

Apple just did not understand… at least, not at first.

It really should have been obvious but it was too painful to even contemplate:

Apple was not meant to have a happily ever after.

Daring, he was not her prince. Which… fine? He was the perfect Prince Charming in theory but he lacked what was necessary to really make Apple happy so she wasn’t too concerned… at first.

People kept saying that Darling was her prince which was just-… what??? Darling is a girl!!! Girls can never be the Prince Charming or the knight or the hero! Girls were either maidens or evil! There was nothing in between! Nothing more! You either were the fairest beauty who deserved a happily ever after or you were an ugly evil witch who got an unhappy ending and was forever left to be envious of their betters!

…Not to say that Raven was ugly, even if she was fated to be left unhappy. Though Apple would frequently visit Raven after the story was over. Of course Apple would be grateful to Raven for providing Apple such a huge sacrifice, and they’d stay friends… somehow.

Raven had the power to find Apple a new even better prince. One that would make Apple happy. It was a relief really. Daring not being the one.

Except Raven was avoiding Apple even though she had said that she forgave Apple for letting Raven’s mother loose to try to turn Raven into a real villain. It had been so easy for Raven to for give Apple everything, Raven seemed to understand Apple made a mistake because she was just worried about her happy ending…!

So why was Raven acting as if she didn’t trust Apple anymore?

Why had Raven started acting so distant and not call Apple over the summer so that it would not have to always be Apple calling Raven? Why… didn’t Raven ever tell Apple what was wrong?

Without Raven Apple was in danger of an unhappy ending. Didn’t the witch know that? Even after rebelling Raven used to be at least close enough to protect Apple!

Apple knew that she was at fault and that there was nothing that could fully excuse Apple’s actions when she released Raven’s mother and let Raven take the fall for something Raven didn’t do.

But Raven had forgiven her!

So why weren’t things all better between them?

Wasn’t Apple’s apology enough?

As the last school year began Raven was finding even more excuses to avoid Apple. Their conversations growing more stilted and awkward by the day until they were barely talking at all! Raven wasn’t telling Apple things. She was hiding things…

Raven was ignoring Apple. The harder Apple tried to fix things the further Raven separated herself! Which was even worse than the day Raven decided to rebel! At least then Raven had been speaking to her!

How utterly selfish.

It drove Apple to desperation!

Apple… had known… from the beginning that the Truth Serum was illegal because it was toxic. In the way all villain potions were toxic. Which was why she had Blondie help measure ingredients for both the serum and antidote. To make sure everything was just right. That it wouldn’t be poisonous and didn’t hurt Raven. The antidote itself had a sleepy, reportedly an amnesiac side effect so that Raven would never probably know and just think it was all a bad dream.

Apple knew it was wrong to infringe on Raven’s secrets but she was desperate for answers!

She… she knew it was wrong.

She understood that it was a bad idea.

It was illegal for one thing. Only villains dealt with forbidden things. only a villain would be allowed to be in possession of illegal things. Terribly inappropriate for a fair and good princess to be messing with such substances. In the wrong doses it could even be lethal! Even in the right dosage it could be lethal if Raven had a deficiency of some kind, or a heart problem, or was prone to aneurisms. The risk of Raven going into shock was also very high, as well as seizures, or permanent nerve damage, some rare cases reported a risk of poisoning the spinal cord directly. The sort of potion only a skilled villain should be messing with!

It was very dangerous.

Inconceivably reckless.

She didn’t want to ever hurt Raven.

She just wanted to make things all better.

Apple almost didn’t even do it. Several times she could have stopped herself easily:

She had the urge to chuck the book she had found the serum information out the window of the White family’s old records hall in the poison and herbal potion history section, she had even opened the window to do just that, but the cover of the old tome was already half fallen off so instead she had carefully taken off the cover of the old tome and had instead used a little craft glue to affix the cracked and peeling leather to the hard cover of her maiden history textbook and disguised the newly freed ancient pages inside her binder.

Apple had plenty of time to think over the remaining three weeks over the summer, she could have shredded the pages multiple times. Her room’s personal shredder would have made the old pages disappear within minutes. Yet instead Apple only thought about it while crafting the pages a new cover out of cardboard and pretty sheets of decorative paper and a lock to make it look like a journal.

Apple could have stopped at the stage where she’d be in need of acquiring ingredients, for many were extremely illegal and would draw too much attention if she were to command some brought to her. If it were not for affinity to get animals to do her bidding and the fact that she knew her kingdom well enough, or at least the area surrounding the palace well enough, to have some fairly decent ideas on which villainous market shop might have something stashed in the far back that an army of squirrels, skunks, and birds could mob in-mass to confuse the shopkeepers… and lo and behold the animals had managed to get their mitts on nearly all the ingredients she needed… as well as a bunch of illegal things she did not need. So she spent an eventful night having the animals bring her old makeup jars, and vases, and other inconspicuous containers while also fashioning a secret compartment inside her bedroom mattress so as to better hide everything from the servants come morning.

Because she could not leave those raw ingredients just anywhere. They were illegal after all. Only villains should even be giving the stuff a second glance! Even if no one ever suspected her, who knows what trouble someone who was not a villain might get up to if they got a hold of free illegal things!

Apple would know since she was the one who spent the final days of her vacation in complete agony over her actions. The things she could do with those ingredients! Lying oh so innocently in their concealed containers! Harmless if left untouched, but if they were put to use! The possession was just about as bad as the knowledge of the potential evil things she could use them for!

She resolved to take it all to school with her so that she could get rid of everything, to slowly leave it all inside the villain classrooms. Bit by bit, jar by jar, piece by piece. After all who would notice? It was illegal substances but it was expected for villains to have that kind of thing laying around. Destiny dictated it was so. It would be an act of charity she had reasoned, a good thing because someone was nice enough to give the villain track free stuff! It would be like giving donations in a treasure hunt kind of way!

Apple had collapsed from exhaustion the night before she was to leave for school, checking and then rechecking everywhere to make certain that she had packed everything up into her suitcases and not a single one was left forgotten in her room where there was a risk of someone finding it. She tasted bile the whole day, all through the welcome orientation and settling into her dorm, even when she collapsed onto her plush dorm bed her tummy felt sour.

She had been tempted by that point to panic and just dump everything into one big box and set it alight inside a cave she knew about in the forest, but true to her resolve she does slowly begin to stash small makeup jars behind, under, and inside of various places in the castle dungeons. Such a shame Apple could not gift it to Raven, if the witch had not rebelled she’d be able to get the best use out of it all.

The secrets, the act of lying by not speaking a word, the anxiety over the possibility that she could possibly wind up being found out! Apple was in awe of how no one seemed to notice that something was off with her, of how simple it was to go on acting as if everything was perfectly normal and that Apple didn’t keep an evil book on illegal evil magic under her pillow at night just so that she always knows where it is so that when she got the opportunity she could burn it.

No one noticed.

No one except for Raven that is.

Raven had noticed.

Raven also assumed it was because of their strained relationship status, but at the very least Raven was there for Apple when Apple kept having panic attacks in the middle of the night and covered for Apple when all Apple wanted to do was take a nap but Apple’s social engagements tried to drag Apple off to go pretend that everything was perfectly fine even when it wasn’t and Raven was really good at making people go away. Raven soothed Apple and pleaded that Apple should not be scared or do anything rash. Raven knew that Apple was at a breaking point. The only one in the whole world who seemed to see Apple for what she truly was becoming.

Raven seemed to be the only person who understood Apple.

It had made Apple long to go back to being as close to Raven as she had been before. Perhaps Apple would have kept her intent to dose Raven with Truth Serum to the grave but… Raven would have known how to best get rid of the villain paraphernalia. Raven would have held Apple until everything was a little bit better, more bearable.

Raven was taking hero classes though, and she was far too good at them for Apple’s liking. Apple didn’t like Raven’s heroic tendencies, she got enough of that everyday in her own classes! No, what Apple wanted-… what Apple needed was to have Raven’s evil side. Apple could not relax around heroic Raven! Or maiden Raven! Or even just Raven… Apple needed Raven to hold Apple down, tie Apple up, put Apple into a dreamless slumber so that for once the treasonous noises inside Apple’s head would just shut up and stop making her do evil things!

Apple longed for silence, longed to be left helpless, secure and safe at Raven’s mercy. Apple wanted to be enveloped by Raven’s magical strength so that Apple didn’t have to be in control anymore.

Apple always had to maintain control.

Apple always had to be perfect.

Raven didn’t trust Apple anymore, Raven was always too busy preparing for when it was time for Raven to go back to her kingdom and leave Apple and Apple’s happily ever after behind. It was bearable before because at least Raven had been closer to Apple before!

There was an unspoken promise that Raven would never leave Apple to face the future alone.

It had changed though, after Apple made her greatest mistake last year. Raven didn’t say anything but Apple knew that Raven didn’t want to have much of a future with Apple anymore. Raven was drifting away from Apple’s reach and Apple knew she had been running out of time. They were roommates again, but they rarely talked or hung out like before, by graduation Apple’s borrowed time would be up, and Raven would disappear.

And Apple would be all alone, just as she had been when she was very small. Fallen down a well where no one could hear her cry.

…Would it really count as a villain’s act if the serum was brewed to exact specifications? If it did not harm Raven and actually only served to repair their friendship would that not count as an act of good?

It had been far too easy to trick Blondie into helping Apple brew the potion. Apple just had to grind the really bad ingredients down into a powder and make up a fake beauty hair mask recipe. That had been all it took. Make Blondie believe it was not a villain’s brew nor an antidote but two hair potions that took time to cure after it was all mixed up and that was why they could not use it right away.

Apple almost didn’t do it. Despite everything Raven was still so trusting, so sweet. It would be cruel to slip an eye dropper’s worth of potion into Raven’s drink and offer it to the witch. If Raven ever caught on then Apple would have to watch the heartbreak shatter over Raven’s face.

Heartbroken, just as Apple would be if Raven wasn’t in her life, just as Apple always saw in her mirror’s reflection when Raven refused to be the villain Apple needed her to be.

Yet it was not heartbreak Raven had shown, Raven had been sharp in her anger, ruthless in her disappointment that Apple turned out to not be the perfect princess Raven had always saw Apple as.

It had become the single worst mistake of Apple’s life.

How horrible it had been.

Apple had blocked out large details of what was revealed that day, only to be haunted later, by remembering with sharp clarity in the middle of the night how Raven had shattered everything good and pure they had between them.

Remembering Raven warning her that fairytales were only ceremonial not driven by destiny. Remembering Raven say that even with fairytales there were records that proved that happily ever after was not a guarantee.

How Raven had said that everything Apple ever thought she knew about villains was offensive and wrong. That Raven had her own country to think about and did not have time to play into Apple’s childish fantasies. How Raven is considered a female prince and future lady king in her homelands.

Remembering how Raven had confessed an unnatural love for Apple that destiny and Raven’s breeding should have prevented from ever being fostered.

 _“Stop! Here’s the antidote! Take it and just… stop being gross!”_ Apple had begged, tossing the jar unseeing as she fled the room in tears.

Apple had tried to calm her nerves as she fled into the woods. Tried to stave off the nausea until she simply could not hold down her lunch and vomited behind a tree. Apple tried to comfort herself through her body uncontrollably shaking and feeling cold from the force of her revulsion, attempting to feel secure in the knowledge that the antidote will make Raven forget everything and Apple will be able to regain her higher moral ground.

Apple had reasoned that if Raven couldn’t remember what Apple had done then it would be as if it never had happened and it could not be used against Apple for when Apple told someone about Raven…

…How was Apple supposed to tell anybody about Raven without giving herself away? Apple needed to out Raven, needed for Raven to realize just how wrong, how… ridiculous she was being! Bad enough that Raven had the wrong sort of idea of what a villain really was supposed to be but to have some sort of… perverted crush on Apple?! No! _Nononononono_ NO! Maidens were only supposed to be admired by _boys_! Villains were supposed to be jealous and bitter because maidens were better than them in every way and always got their happily ever after and will always get their Prince Charming and it was that way for a reason and Raven was nothing but a selfish sickened witch who did not understand that her place as Apple’s lesser! Raven wasn’t even a real princess, she was just some stupid, selfish, irresponsible witch who didn’t understand that Apple was better than her and Raven needed to go see a doctor or something because Raven had all the proper breeding but she was clearly defective! How could Raven do this horrible thing to Apple? Apple had never done anything to Raven to deserve this! Apple didn’t want this! Why did these thing always have to happen to Apple?

 ** _The witch had to be stopped!_** Apple had clearly been far too lenient in humoring Raven for her rebellious actions. Clearly this was more than a simple case of cold feet about becoming the next Evil Queen! Obviously this unnatural wanton obsession was a clear sign of some kind of medical problem!

Yes, that must be it. Rebellion must be some kind of disease or psychological disorder. Why else would anybody defy their destinies? Why else would Raven fall under such delusions such as girls being princes or kings, and that Apple’s definition of villainy was offensive! Witches were all naturally evil creatures! Especially the ones born with magic!

Apple didn’t really know what would happen to Raven after Apple outed her, all Apple wanted was for Raven to stop and just… go away! Get fixed! _Something so long as she stopped this nonsense!!!!!!!!!!!_

But… how was Apple supposed to do that if exposing Raven meant exposing her own shameful actions?

Yes, of course Apple had done it out of noble intent to fix her friendship but it was still a villain’s potion!

How?

How could she get away with it? To pull it off?

She needed to talk to Briar. She’d understand where Apple was coming from. She’d know what to do!

Apple had been in a state once she had finally happened upon both Briar and Ashlynn in the empty girl’s dorm corridor. Classes had already started by then but Apple was so full to bursting with secrets and shame that had not thought to ask what they were doing.

 _“Oh Briar the most terrible thing has happened!”_ Apple had cried out before the other two could get a word in. _“The Rebels have fallen under a horrible disease! Oh Ashlynn we must get you to a Healer immediately! Something has gone horribly wrong with everybody! It is the only explanation as to why Raven has fallen under an unnatural perversion!”_

The two stared at her as if Apple had gone crazy. _“…What?”_

So Apple had told them about the horrible things Raven had said, omitting the Truth Serum part for that particular moment so that the full importance of the horrible things Raven had confessed would outshine Apple’s small bad deed. Under the assumption of course that they’d both be on her side, for Apple had been so certain that neither of them would betray her.

Oh how wrong Apple had been.

Briar inhaled sharply, looking hurt, stepping back from Apple as if Apple had just punched her.

_“Apple…”_

_“It’s the only thing that makes sense Briar! Girls are only supposed to end up with boys, princesses with princes! The stork won’t bring her a baby unless she marries a boy! How is Raven supposed to give my future daughter her Happily Ever After if Raven doesn’t marry a prince to become the next Good King? Raven’s whole reason to be born was to make sure I get to become Snow White, and now it’s obvious that something went wrong with her breeding because she’s clearly come out defective or something! I mean a girl falling in romantic love for another girl? A villain claiming that witches are not all evil? How utterly unnatural! UGH! I cannot believe she took advantage of her situation as my roommate just to get close to me!”_

_“You were the one who kept taking the liberty to switch her room assignments even though she had originally chosen to stay with Maddie… both last year and this year.”_ Ashlynn had said slowly. Accusingly.

_“I know! I cannot believe Raven took advantage of my maidenly charity to be able to room with me and have the honor of being my friend!”_

_“It would seem more likely to me that Raven hasn’t ever taken advantage of anything you’ve done to her and has probably actually been trying to very politely not involve you in her very private personal life, and respected the fact that she comes from a culture your will never hope to understand.”_ Ashlynn had spoken reasonably. Irritably.

_“Oh Ashlynn, you are always so terribly naïve, clearly I must tell the Grimm Brothers about what is going on in Raven’s homelands so that they can put a stop to this rebellious witch nonsense! Raven was born to be the villain to my story, I understand exactly how she was supposed to turn out!”_

Ashlynn’s lips had thinned and her eyes narrowed dangerously, but Apple was in too much of a state to properly interpret the other girl’s anger. _“I think you need to think very hard about how much you are going to lose if you keep saying such things Apple. Your feelings for her are that of friendship are they not? You care about her happiness don’t you? You never minded that she was a witch before now.”_

 _“Yes, but that was back when I thought we were destined to be best friennemies for life, but then Raven defied her destiny, dooming my Happy Ending, and now this? Something is definitely wrong with her! We have to tell everyone! Test all of the Rebels for any similar cases on unnatural behavior and cure them of this destiny defying illness! If we don’t cure Raven and save her from the strange and unnatural customs of the witches then I’ll never get my perfect story!”_ Apple had despaired through her sniffles.

 _“Apple, what did you do to get all of these secrets out of Raven?”_ Briar had asked her quietly. Voice shaking terribly. Tears in her eyes as she stared at Apple in horror. _“I don’t think she would have told you any of this on her own.”_

At that Apple broke down into even more tears. _“Oh Briar, I only wanted to know how to make everything all better between Raven and I. I wanted to know what it would take for her to finally do right by me! I didn’t do it to hurt Raven, I was so very careful, I just needed answers!”_

Apple had tried to move forward so as to embrace her friend but she did not manage to get in a hug of comfort for as soon as she made to step towards her friends a wall of blue magic erupted in front of Apple and Faybelle materialized, absolutely furious as she glared Apple down.

 _“Where the hell do you get off on doing something like that? You utter psychopath! Not even villains would touch something as vile as a truth serum!”_ Faybelle hissed her face utterly hideous as she bared her needlelike teeth, her pupils dilating until her eyes were nothing but two blackened orbs, the third eyelid of one eye blinking rapidly to protect it from the morning light coming in through the corridor windows, the fairy’s ears pulling back until they were flat against her skull.

Apple had stepped back, as was her right since Faybelle’s mouth split a little too wide to be normal and she had a lot of sharp little teeth. Knowing instinctively that she should begin denying any knowledge of truth serums immediately, perhaps blame someone else, say that Raven had walked in acting very strangely and Apple hadn’t known what had gotten into her.

Except…

Apple just had to correct Faybelle about the villain thing.

Had to:

_“Real villains do all sorts of things with forbidden magics! That’s the entire point of being a villain, they do what they shouldn’t!”_

Before Apple could properly censure herself.

 _“But only villains do forbidden magics maliciously! If someone does something for the sake of a good deed and makes sure that everything is measured just right then so that nobody gets hurt then it’s alright!”_ Apple had hastily defended herself, because they somehow knew she had given Raven Truth Serum and Apple had all but confirmed she had done the crime.

_“No it is not alright! There is never a good deed in existence to excuse the use of forbidden magic against people!”_

_“Oh you’re just mad because your story isn’t all that impressive! All you’re going to do is just put Briar to sleep, which isn’t very challenging since Briar already sleeps for hours just by getting her finger pricked by a regular needle! You don’t even get to have a prince by the end of your story! You’re just destined to be alone and sad just like all the other villains! I’ll bet that not even you can manage a real truth serum or any real forbidden magics other than just throwing your magic about!”_

_“Villain magics are all about throwing magic about! There is no honor in forbidden magics!”_ Faybelle continued to insist, not even giving Apple the higher ground by going into a childish fit by Apple’s taunts. _“They are illegal for a reason! Don’t you see you big idiot? Not even villains are allowed to practice forbidden magics because there is a difference between villain magic which is to just play out the same story with a guaranteed happy ending and forbidden magic which never has a happy ending because it will kill people and no amount of kissing the corpse will bring Raven back if her heart stops! The serum you used will destroy her nervous system and her internal organs if she so much as panics!”_

In that very moment, all of Apple’s outrage snuffed out as the very real possibility that she may have made a mistake came back to haunt her.

_“Impossible, I made an antidote! I gave it to her!”_

_“Really? Because when Raven called Briar’s phone for help it was pretty clear that she hadn’t gotten an antidote.”_ Faybelle sneered.

_“No! Really! I threw the bottle at her before I ran out of our dorm-!”_

Apple was not expecting Ashlynn to slap her with such strength that Apple ended up with her body slamming into the hall rug, jarring Apple’s shoulder and twisting Apple’s ankle due to the impacted force of Ashlynn’s assault causing her to spin on it funny.

Apple hadn’t felt too much pain at first though, the sting of Ashlynn’s slap had shocked Apple’s body into a numb stupor, unable to do much else aside from staring dumbly up at the way Faybelle was holding Briar protectively to her side while Briar herself had her face buried into Faybelle’s shoulder, not even looking at Apple.

 _“Faybae, sweetie we have to find Raven, can you get princess Apple as far away as possible? She will kill Raven if she finds her.”_ Briar spoke, her voice panicked and shaking.

Crying, she was crying. Ugly crying. Not prettily.

Apple didn’t even have the chance to shake off her stupor to speak up before vibrant blue waves of magic encircled her, and the next thing Apple realized was that she had been transported over twenty miles away from the school!

Without her phone!

And she had to walk part of the way back on a twisted ankle until she happened across a mountain goat big enough to carry her on its back, and since her shoulder hurt so much she couldn’t go very fast because she did not have the strength to hang on to the creature’s neck properly.

When Apple finally arrived back at school it was almost the end of dinner and it was dark outside. She had been tired, filthy, in pain, yet still in dire need for some hot soup so she stealthily slips into one of the village’s coffee shops and orders herself some food to go, listening in on conversations and overhearing Blondie’s vlog:

 _“Details have just emerged about the poisoning of Raven Queen. A rogue non-authorized poisoner is on the loose at the school. She had used a Truth Serum, or a level ten hazardous illegal substance on Raven Queen to try to extract highly sensitive information about her home kingdoms and then possibly murder her since the toxin itself would be lethal if the victim panics. Yet Raven had been able to valiantly keep calm and get away. Using the phone Apple White had accidentally left in her dorm to call for help from the Queen Snow White, Raven was able to_ _keep her poisoner from finding her. Currently Raven is in critical condition in the school infirmary under constant watch as they flush out her system. Apparently reports from Snow White herself suspect that it had been a hate crime against Raven’s ethnicity. Sources say that it was likely that the Royal versus Rebel conflict had nothing to do with it. All students are to either go back to their dorms immediately for emergency lockdown protocols, or are to stay exactly where they are in the village until the campus can be cleared of danger. Snow White’s personal guard have arrived to help flush out the criminal.”_

Apple paled when she heard that Raven had called her mother. Did Snow White ask Raven who had given her the serum? Were they looking for Apple? Apple had been cold with fear. If her mother discovered Apple’s non-maidenly behavior-… it wasn’t even worth thinking about what she’d do to Apple.

_“We have an official statement from the Headmaster himself, who cannot be here at the moment but he wants to stress that the school is a safe place for all nationalities, and cultures. Any and all hate crimes will be severely punished!”_

Apple had questions, but did not dare ask for she did not want to talk to anyone. Did the Headmaster know about Raven? After all Raven was attracted to a girl!

…Which did not make sense to Apple. You needed a boy in order for the stork to come and bring the baby!

For a split moment Apple had feared that Daring would want to ask her why she wasn’t in the infirmary with Raven but instead he had begged her to tell the White family guards to let him back into the dorms because he was worried sick for Rosabella and Briar, and his siblings.

Apple allowed his request, but declined to follow him, she felt it best that perhaps she should pop down to the gym, get cleaned up, and stick close to the forest in case she had to run away. Get away from Blondie’s vlog and the guilt that was consuming her.

_“We have a very special guest today, Mr. Big Bad Wolf is here to tell us about the differences between Forbidden and villain magic, and how potions-”_

Eventually everyone in the village had been rounded up and placed safely in the school gym where they waited for further news. It had been very nerve-wracking going back to the school while being escorted, Apple almost ran away when the Headmaster ran up to her and asked if she had known anything that might help in the investigation.

 _“Um… Sir? Raven likes other girls… like… romantically…”_ Apple had tried awkwardly. _“She’s also calling herself a prince.”_

 _“So you also think it was a hate crime against Miss Queen’s nationality.”_ The Headmaster had tsked in disapproval. _“What an awful person this poisoner must be! Nearly killing Miss Queen over something as harmless as a villainess’s ethnicity and her attraction to the same gender!”_

_“…Harmless sir?”_

_“Quite harmless, she does after all not require to marry a prince and her homeland traditionally does not heed to strict gendered titles of royal rank.”_ The Headmaster had spoken as if it were nothing. _“Many of her ancestors did much the same at various points in their history. Both countries that she is inheriting from her parents have a diverse and fascinating culture, not to mention the delicious festival food!”_

Apple reeled.

 _“Oh.”_ There was a lot behind that “oh”, since Apple was still so very confused, yet got a very clear impression that she had more than likely destroyed her whole life. If the Headmaster of all people didn’t see faults in Raven’s shocking behavior… then that meant Apple had messed up somewhere.

It had been agony staying in that crowded gym for the night, wanting to desperately to run but knowing she could not get far on her swollen ankle. She spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop. This… all of this was not the reaction someone might normally give if just any villain had poisoned somebody.

This was the reaction Apple expected that only the Evil Queen might bring.

Apple had imagined what Raven must look like: **pale** as the sheets, hair a stark inky **black** in contrast, her bad habit to bite her lips when she was stressed or concentrating making the **blood** rise to the surface like a **red** bruise…

How utterly H **e** lPl **e** s **S** Raven must have felt.

The next day, after spending the night sleeping fitfully on the gym floor surrounded by the other students and scheming escape routes behind her closed eyes, Apple had discovered that sometime between Faybelle dismissing her miles away from the school and after lunch, when everyone in the gym was released back into their dorms, they had gone and switched Apple’s roommate from Raven to a very nervous Bunny.

Things… were not the same the next she ran into Briar and Ashlynn, there was no time for awkward conversations or tearful apologies, it felt, to Apple, that the moment she and Briar’s eyes locked their mutual anger at one another boiled over and they were shouting at each other for everything and nothing at all.

Ashlynn never shouted but she had a very special way of projecting her disappointment in Apple, calmly insulting Apple by calling attention to all of Apple’s private failures in ways that made Apple feel ten inches tall.

Things between Apple and Blondie were palpably awkward, she didn’t say anything to Apple but by the look on her face she knew Apple had lied to use her and yet she did not want to believe it. Blondie still hung around Apple, but didn’t really speak to Apple, nor Apple to Blondie. Usually someone would swoop in to take Blondie away from Apple. It was sad but given how awkward things had become it was almost a relief.

Hunter knew and hated her with the heat of a thousand suns, as did cupid who often snatched Blondie away from apple’s side with a protective side-eyed glare, Maddie certainly knew because when Apple had once tried to get away from everything, clear her head, by having a quiet lonely walk in the woods Maddie had found her and threatened to do such terrible things to Apple if she ever hand the good fortune to catch Apple good and properly alone (where no one could hear her scream) that Apple actually wet herself and ended up running blindly through the forest, tripping and scraping her skin and getting dirty and her dress ripping on branches, re-twisting her ankle until she was safely within sight of campus, and had to sneak back into her own dorm as if she were something shameful that had to be hidden.

People still hung out with her, but they weren’t really her friends, they merely did so solely because she was the princess of Ever After. They laughed at her jokes even when she hadn’t meant for them to be funny, they gossiped behind her back, they watched her every move like hungry hawks and gave her absolutely no respite to feel comfortable around them.

Never before had she felt so cheap in her entire life, without her friends she felt as if she were little more than a trinket to show off, a stepping stone for other people’s popularity.

Without the option of at least being able to be alone, like in the forest, or even in her own dorm, Apple felt herself begin to buckle under the strain. Only being able to cry while in the bathroom but even then she had to keep silent about it lest Bunny overhear her.

She did not feel safe crying where others could hurt her while she was at her weakest.

Bunny wasn’t a bad roommate but she also wasn’t someone Apple could necessarily confide in either. Always being very formal and proper when Apple was around. Calling Apple by her title as a princess and just overall highlighting the fact that Apple was above Bunny’s station and that Bunny herself did not particularly feel comfortable being roommates with a foreign monarch given that Bunny was part of Lizzie’s inner court and Lizzie wasn’t talking with Apple anymore.

Apple was positive Lizzie had ordered Bunny to spy on Apple.

People asked questions, of course they did, and it was all the worse because Apple could not give anybody satisfying answers!

Everyone was petrified of this unknown poisoner who would dare try to murder the daughter of the Evil Queen. Royalty in particular feared for not only their own safety but their kingdom’s safety, some had been sent home to be schooled online just for extra protection.

They needn’t have worried. Apple only had meant the serum for Raven.

Daring almost made himself sick worrying after Rosabella, not even bothering with the Charming Prince act, was more like a body guard than anything else, he even imitated Lizzie’s preventative plan of protecting Raven: to take the time to taste and sip a little of everything Rosabella ate. Sometimes he’d watch over Raven as well, or carry her around as if Raven was a BeAuTiFul ProCelAin DoLl.

Mostly though, Daring acted like a sacrificial martyr while he protected Rosabella. Was willing to die for her. With Raven he acted as a human shield of muscle, willing to fight anything who might attack her while Raven was at her weakest.

Devoted himself to the both of them in ways he had never done for any other maiden.

Especially not Apple.

…Not ever Apple.

With Apple he had been a bore.

With Apple he only _acted_ like he cared about her.

Only was happy to be with her for the sake of the fame it would have brought him.

He had seen Apple as just another maiden.

Nothing special.

Even with Raven he acted differently.

With Rosabella Daring acted like a boy in love.

With Raven he acted like how a True Prince was supposed to be. Not act. **Be**.

Then there was all that talk about divorces! Apple wasn’t divorcing Ashlynn or Briar at all! They were the ones who betrayed her! If Apple was friendship divorcing anyone it was…

…Raven…

Raven… had gotten everything… Apple was only left with the dorm. Raven and she had been the two heads of the class body, a friendship between the two factions as their leaders, working together to figure out their future… a partnership to be remembered forever…

And then suddenly it was gone. Raven had left and took with her everyone Apple ever cared about.

Apple felt more trapped than ever. Not even the well had been this scary, at least in the well Apple could scream and cry out as much as she needed to! Now she couldn’t depend on anyone!

Everyone was actually out to get Apple!

Everyone… except for Raven.

Raven never told a soul what Apple had done, once again being the only one who seemed to understand Apple. Raven could not forgive Apple, of course not, but she did not make Apple’s life any harder. In fact Raven… found it in herself to… cover for Apple. Make people leave Apple alone. Had maybe used Blondie’s phone to make Bunny think there was going to be a routine dorm inspection and that everything had to be cleaned up or else the residents of the dorm would get into trouble.

Baba Yaga and Red Riding Hood, both citizens of Raven’s kingdom had dropped by, which confirmed for Apple that they were there to find evidence against Apple. Apple could not interfere either because she and Bunny were made to stand nervously outside. Bunny had cleaned up as best she could but Apple had been unable to hide some of her little… collection in more secure places and the two women… _found_ things.

Not anything super-duper bad, nothing **Damning,** nothing Apple could not claim was originally Raven’s.

Nobody believed her and Apple got told off, but she was saved yet again by Raven.

Raven, who despite everything still found the **Grace** to try to protect Apple.

How very **_FAIR_** of her. Almost **Maidenly**.

It made Apple sick with disgust.

She _resented_ it.

Ashlynn and Briar on the other hand, had finked to the Grimm Brothers, who circled at the edged like sharks, looking for a moment, a split second, for Apple to mess up.

And it was only by Raven’s mercy that kept them from going after Apple.

Raven… who loved Apple, the friend Apple had lost, had poisoned.

Raven who never so much as looked back.

Apple could see Raven in the halls, with her lovely **P** aLe **S** kIn and **B** laCk **N** igHt **H** aIr brushed to a shine, unpainted **L** iPs bitten **R** eD and occasionally chapped with beads of **B** loOd swelling over the bruising.

Oddly, Apple actually kind of _H **a** tEd _it. Raven’s _charity_. Raven’s _kindness_. Raven’s _virtue_.

Yet Raven never so much as looked back. Had so easily moved on. Had… left Apple. So easily. So, so very simply.

Sometimes Apple wanted to hurt Raven. For leaving, for pitying, for **_LoViNg_** Apple. Punish her. For causing Apple so much grief and then having the audacity to be kind about it. Act as if Apple was the sick one and not Raven.

It had been a terrible year for Apple. With each passing day she grew even more BiTtEr.

This was not a good set up to one day get her Happily Ever After.

Once Apple felt… secure enough that no one had clued in her mom about Apple being the poisoner she decided to tattle to her mother about Raven’s… _unnatural_ tendencies. After all her mother had taught Apple everything there was to ever know about destinies. Maybe the Headmaster would foolishly not care about what villain characters got up to outside of their stories but if anyone would care about keeping up proper decorum, especially when it involved characters from Apple’s fairytale, it would be her mother!

Raven wouldn’t be able to act so high and mighty then! Not if Snow White was involved.

They were the GOOD family after all. GOOD always knew what was best.

GOOD was better than evil.

They were just born _better_.

Apple half-regretted her decision when most of the call home ended up with Apple having to tell her mother that people were more worried about the poisoner running loose to care about stupid popularity points, that tensions were high and she and Ashlynn were fighting over nothing and everything… that Raven was… worried Apple might be targeted.

That’s why Raven stopped talking to Apple.

Nothing more than that.

 _“Raven’s romantically in love with a girl.”_ Apple tattled before her mother could derail the conversation further with uncomfortable questions.

 _“Yes, the Headmaster mentioned that was a big reason why our little Raven had been targeted.”_ Her mother crooned in sympathy. Looking… sad. _“What a horrible, insignificant reason to try to murder someone over.”_

Apple had stared at her phone for a very long time, her brain sliding into white noise as Apple felt her world tilt.

_“Mom, does the stork bring babies to girls who marry girls?”_

Her mother immediately looked distinctly uncomfortable.

 _“Yes Apple sweetie… but the stork summoning ritual for them is, ah-… bit different than how it is between a princess and her destined prince.”_ Her mother had stated, rather too delicately for Apple’s tastes.

 _“Understand that such a pairing between two people of the same gender cannot happen if a princess is destined for a Prince Charming. It would be unnatural for a maiden princess to defy her destiny in any way. Do you understand Apple?”_ Her mother had asked in a tone that always made Apple feel like a stupid kid.

“So how exactly does a prince and a princess do the ritual to get a stork to bring them a baby?” Apple had asked in retaliation, also out of curiosity because Apple didn’t quite understand how the whole process of getting an heir worked, or why her mother kept changing the subject when asked.

“It is a special secret that I will tell you before your wedding night with Dexter Charming.” Her mother had said, which…

_“WHAT?”_

“Oh, did I neglect to mention it to you? Seeing as how Daring can’t be your prince his brother will take his place.”

Apple had no words.

None.

Words had left her.

She could never be happy with Dexter as her husband!

He wasn’t even cute!

She hated him! Especially back when he had dated Raven and even more so when Apple found out he had talked to his parents about making Raven his queen _and taking RavenawayfromApple!!!_

Apple missed Raven the most in that moment just after she hung up.

Apple always missed Raven in some small ways, but Apple had done her best not to let what she missed about Raven to interfere with the knowledge of… what Raven had said… while under Truth Serum… when Apple had almost… killed her…

When Apple had made the biggest mistake of her life.

Raven was good at making Apple’s tummy feel better when Apple was stressed. Raven let Apple hug her to help Apple feel better when she was scared, Raven helped scare away Apple’s nightmares

Why did Raven get to move on so easily? So… gracefully?

Why did Raven get to have everything while Apple got nothing?

Why should Apple be wracked by guilt over what she had done when it was Raven’s fault for pushing her to that point in the first place!?

Apple never failed at anything in her life! Apple was born GOOD! Apple deserved her happy ending!

Apple was so sick, actually physically sick of always ending up with egg on her face just because she cared so much about Raven destiny, Raven’s heritage, Raven’s reputation that Apple had done everything, including forsaking her maidenly duties, in order to finally make Raven see sense!

To finally, somehow, someway, get the villain Apple knew just had to be lurking somewhere inside of Raven!

For Apple to get the perfect villain.

The key to Apple’s FoReVer after HaPpiNeSs.

She wanted her **_P_** _e **R** fe **C** t life back_!

Apple wanted it all to stop!

AnD ThErE WaS OnLy OnE WaY FoR It To StOp.

Apple needed the villain she had always deserved to have for her story but was always denied!

Apple needed her _EvIl QuEeN_.

Apple poisoned Raven a second time because she had wanted Raven to lose control. She had wanted Raven to savage her with her anger and her magic just to prove that Raven wasn’t so high and mighty. That if pushed just right Raven could be the biggest most vile monster in the entire world. Apple was going to stand directly in the path of destruction and let Raven’s magic consume her. Let it tear into Apple and let it hurt until Apple could finally feel like a proper maiden again. Prove to them all that you could never escape your destiny.

Apple would not allow it.

Apple refused to be cast as the villain in someone else’s story.

She would not be the one of the three of them who was cursed with an unhappy ending!

…Except Raven wasn’t actually in the school.

Even so Apple’s plot had been discovered anyway.

Far too quickly.

Far too soon.

At first Apple had been horrified to have learned that Hopper had been sent to the infirmary. Sparrow, Apple was less worried for since he was just in the infirmary because he was being an overdramatic drama queen and did not have a small alternate animal form that could heighten the potency of any poison.

_Fair Maidens were not supposed to be capable of hurting people._

It stung that Apple had miscalculated in such an important detail. Apple had excelled in everything she had ever been asked to do. Yet with Raven she could do no right. It was a never ending cycle of Apple trying her hardest and always coming up short.

_Raven was afraid of her._

Raven knew Apple far too well and had fled before Apple could act.

_Raven knew Apple was going to do something bad._

It was in that moment that Apple realized that through her bitterness she had not been in the right at all.

Not once.

No moral high ground.

And then came the reports of the animals discovering the stash Apple had disposed of.

The numbers. Oh Ancestors! The numbers!

The first, immediate reaction was that Apple had felt herself recoil in horror so sharply and so profoundly that her ears rang by the emotional force of it.

Then…

Numbness.

_Fair Maidens were not supposed to be capable of such horrible things._

It was so very strange how… unreal everything felt. As if she were watching everything unfold from far away. As if… it was just a mirror-cast show or a dream. Nothing could touch her, nothing could phase her. The first few who got hurt felt so horrible but as the NuMbErS grew… it felt… less like it was something to get nearly so worked up and feel terrible over.

MoRe LiKe A ScOrE TaLlY In A GaMe.

All there had been was numb apathy.

Apple had never had anyone be afraid of her before.


	3. Downward Spiral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil does not come all at once to Apple, it is a slow process. Much like a slow acting poison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Chapter contains some self-destructive thoughts, nothing too graphic, but still.
> 
> Whew. This took me a while to get out. I tried to go for a realistic downward spiral, which involved symptoms of depression, isolation, hints at revealing that her obsession with being poisoned also develops a self-harm type of connotation, all of the little things that subtly would lead someone like Apple down a path of evil. Given the dumpster fire that is 2020 this felt kind of cathartic when it finally reached the catasclysmic conclusion. 
> 
> Good job to those who figure out the hidden messages I put into one of the paragraphs.

Apple had been left shaken by the end of what was supposed to be graduation day.

She hadn’t meant…

She didn’t mean to-

Just…

She just had no words. Her mind was a storm of emotion but her thoughts were left speechless by the devastation she had wrought by her own two hands. That she had been capable of such evil surprised her. She had not thought that anyone would get hurt, only that she had thought that by stripping Raven on her inhibitions she could show everyone that Raven still was a product of her villainous breeding.

She had thought she could make things right again.

Instead Apple only revealed that the true villain had been Apple all along.

Apple came home without a fuss. Her life nothing but a shattered mess, her body numb with shock. No escape, no privacy to openly grieve, Apple had been placed under the protection and constant eye of her mother’s guard, where Apple had no choice but to continue acting the part of the dutiful fair princess.

She never felt more alien inside her own body.

When she saw in her bedroom mirror the familiar fair princess did not feel as though it was really her own skin. More of a shell, a mask that hid something sinister beneath.

“…”

She couldn’t even find the words to justify herself to her own reflection.

The plan had been to just… show Raven that she wasn’t… free. That no matter what she was always born for the service of Apple’s story.

 **Bitterness** had tinged her every thought, **Wrath** had fueled her actions, **Hate** had consumed her.

She was not jealous of Raven though. Briar accused her as being such many times but it simply was not true. There wasn’t anything Raven had that Apple could be jealous over. Raven is indeed beautiful yet not nearly as beautiful as Apple even on a bad hair day, Raven is smart but Apple was Valedictorian in school, Raven was an acting queen long before Apple was scheduled to be but that was more pitiable seeing as how the only reason for that was because her mother had to be stripped of her throne… Apple’s kingdom and Apples destiny as Snow White automatically made Apple’s status far better than Raven’s, Even Ever After was better than Raven’s kingdom. Everyone knew of Ever After, very few even knew Raven’s kingdom even had a name other than _Raven’s kingdom_.

…Sometimes when she was small Apple overheard courtiers cruelly suggesting a few times in the past that Apple was likely a bastard child “conceived” between her mother and an unknown lover, to which Apple took as the stork having delivered the wrong baby to Snow White since she was of the wrong coloration. That her father, the king, had maybe felt sick on the day they were supposed to do the ritual to summon the stork so her mother had someone else step in. Surely not the true heir seeing as how if she were then destiny would have seen to it that Apple had been born… correctly.

Snow White was ruthless in stamping out those who opposed Apple’s right in taking over the throne… yet it never escaped Apple that even her own mother was less than pleased by Apple taking more after her father than from her. From their heritage, their destiny.

Snow White was displeased that what she got was a Charming princess and not a Snow White.

Apple was the heir, as her mother’s only child, because the stork had warned that her mother could not have any more children, but Apple still had to make up for the lack of correct coloration. Apple had to be worked hard to become absolutely perfect in order to prove she was worthy. The well had proven to Apple at a very young age what happened to people without fairytales, what happened when she disobeyed her mother.

The whispers in the court that still persisted despite her mother’s best efforts proved what would happen if Apple never measured up to perfection.

Others had whispered how Raven had Hair Black As Night and Skin White As Snow, suggesting that the Evil Queen had switched the babies in their cradle as a joke. Most speculated that Apple would never find her prince if poisoned, Apple’s illegitimacy could only be proven by poison. They whispered and they taunted and the courtiers’ children sometimes implied that their parents were considering a more suitable replacement for Apple and she would be chosen soon…

That is unless Raven happened to be around, being a child of royalty and part of Apple’s story it was not unusual for Raven to attend royal social gatherings. No one spoke out of turn about Apple when Raven was within earshot because she would flare up and force the bullies to scatter from fear. Raven never had much interest in being Apple’s friend when they occasionally saw each other at royalty socializing events, instead more interested in staying close to her father or the kids from her own kingdom, but for days and sometimes weeks afterward the horrible whispers seemed to stop because people feared Raven. Even back then Raven’s mere presence always made Apple’s life better.

After Apple had met Raven and Raven had scared away the whispers, she dreamed of the well she had fallen down the one time she disobeyed Snow White and wandered off. In those dreams Apple dreamed of Raven flaring up to become the light in the darkness, consuming Apple with her magic, locking Apple away in a secure and safe swell until Apple was delivered to her perfect happy ending.

The hushed looming threats stopped altogether once the Evil Queen went full-throttle on attempting to take over everything and the only person who seemed to have the power to protect them seemed to have been Snow White. Only further proving Raven’s destiny was for something greater than the average fairytale, for only a true villain had saved Apple from being replaced as the heir to the throne, therefore only a true villain could bring Apple her happy ending.

Raven had the power to bring Apple her guaranteed safety, why would Apple ever be jealous? Raven recognized her as the true heir to Snow White?

Who would dare argue with Raven?

…Except Raven had refused to do the one thing Apple needed in order to secure her birthright without a hitch.

Which was to become the Evil Queen.

Apple was never jealous of Raven, Apple needed Raven or nothing was ever going to work! Everything in Apple’s life hinged upon Raven!

Raven who was supposed to be Apple’s crowning jewel, who had doomed everything because she had lOvEd Apple!

ThEn jUsT lIKe iT wErE aLl fOr nOtHiNg **Raven** mOvEd oN.

As if Apple was nObOdY! aS iF…

As if Apple was not someone Raven’s whole life hinged upon.

Raven had left… so easily. After devastating Apple’s entire world she had left Apple all alone.

AlOnE lIkE sHe hAd bEeN iN tHe wElL.

It… Apple had thought-…

No. Apple had not been thinking. Apple had only felt, listening to the Hate she felt for Raven to dare… _everything_! How dare she do all the things!

How dare she divorce Apple!

Apple hadn’t been thinking. Apple had only felt **_Bitterness_** for being cast aside as if she weren’t the Fairest Of Them All or the _Princess of Ever After_ , the most important and _Fairest_ , and _Purest Maiden_ with the _Greatest Destiny_ ever known ever in history! Apple had been **_Wrathful_** that none of them were acknowledging her superior _Blood_ , for Apple was the product of only the best _Royal Breeding_ and was therefore _Superior_ to them all! She grew **_Resentful_** of Raven’s pity, acting as if she were far too NoBLe to turn on Apple, that she was above such pEtTy notions such a ReVeNgE.

Apple had just wanted things to go back to how they had been before Raven rebelled, she had wanted Raven tO kNoW hEr pLaCe.

She had wanted to HuRt Raven.

So she did.

Without thinking things through.

.

:

;

The tears came much later, long after Apple had been transported back home under armed guard, not even after Dexter had also been moved into the palace and Apple had to spend morning until evening by his side, acting like the dutiful little princess, smiling…

Always smiling.

Smiling so innocently despite kNOwing that she was the **_mOnStEr_** they all feared.

A **_mOnStEr_** that walked among them, in the highest authority in all the land, **_and they never suspected a thing_**.

Standing next to Dexter, Apple could not help but feel extreme apathy for her fate to be bound to him.

He was not her Prince Charming.

She did not hate him, but she did not love him either.

…Or even… really… like him much in general. She never understood what Raven had ever seen in him. When looking at Dexter he was “meh” on a rare extraordinary occasion that he actually managed to be somewhat princely, but mostly “disappointing” was the first gut feeling that came to Apple’s mind. He did not look the part, and he certainly was not of the best breeding out of the litter, a fluke more likely seeing how pretty the rest of his family was.

Her mother conversed a lot with him though, finding his skills with technology to be invaluable for some reason even though the mark of a PeRfEcT **Prince** was how well he could handle a sword.

Dexter had helped her mother come up with the design for Apple’s glass coffin and the flowers that would accompany Apple as she was laid out for display. Discussing because Dexter thought that elements of the coffin theme should be added into the wedding ceremony and ballroom reception. Perhaps even being fitted into Apple’s hair.

Snow White had delightfully agreed, praising Dexter for his skills in “taking into consideration the public representations”, and such.

Meaning that it was imperative they make Apple look so good that no one would point out how she was NoThInG but a PrEtEnDeR. Girl of _blonde_ hair and _pink _blotchy skin like some common peasant farmer’s daughter, not Hair **Black** As **Night** , Skin **White** As **Snow** , Lips **Red** As **Blood** , **_Blood_** _like the mark of a true royal’s excellent bReEdInG_. **_Snow_** _to prove higher status, unblemished by the sun._ **_Night_** _…_

 _As black as the heart of the **WiTcH** who was **born to serve her** story_.

Apple didn’t even look like her mother. It was surprising that a **womb** of such perfect royal excellence had BoRn RoTtEn FrUiT.

Perhaps… the stork had a hand in it? Apple still did not know for certain how a bird was involved with pregnancy, how the ritual worked to get the baby inside the mother’s belly and how they got it back out, the monthly time to bleed seemed… a topic of great shame that Apple had read was to shed the organ lining in preparation for a newer one to hold the baby safe as it grew…

But that did not explain why Apple was SuCh A DiSgRaCe.

…Unless of course destiny had a hand in it all.

Dexter… was not meant for a true Snow White. That was the evidence Apple found which supported the beginnings of a growing, relentless suspicion:

If Dexter had been another one of Snow White’s servants she supposes she would not have felt as if she were some DoLl and not a **_Princess_**.

A prince was supposed to be a boy that Apple would fall instantly in love with and be swept off her feet by days spent in effortless romance. …Like what Ashlynn has with Hunter… except Apple would have been given the most perfect prince in all of Ever After.

Instead what Apple received was… nothing more than a PR agent. A very sweet… if a little pathetic nerdy PR agent who was very good at making Apple _look_ more like Snow White than Apple had ever seen of herself…

But…

It was just looks! All of it was just stage dressing to put on a show! Apple wasn’t actually transformed into a different, better person as the countdown toward her story drew closer. She wasn’t any different than she had been before! All Apple was doing was… acting.

Apple looked the part, looked better than she ever had in her whole entire life!

But she wasn’t Snow White. Not on the inside.

Apple wasn’t even getting her promised Prince Charming.

Sure, Daring had been a disappointment, but it had also been a relief that he wasn’t Apple’s prince. She never felt swoony or had her breath taken away just at the sight of him, and he just… treated her as if she was nothing but background set dressing, always coming in second to his own reflection, never bothered to even flirt with her because as far as he was concerned she was already destined to be his wife so why bother putting in the effort? Blondie had recorded him trying to wake her up when Apple had been poisoned the first time, and he hadn’t expressed an ounce of concern for her. Just sort of whined that his manhood was threatened, even when she woke up he didn’t really talk to her about what this meant for them and for Apple. Just whined some more about himself.

Not at all the way he treated Rosabella, the way he thought of going to her first to make sure she was okay when Raven had been-…

Dexter was sweet but if he was Apple’s True Prince Charming then… that had to mean that Apple was destined never to find love. Darling woke Apple up, but Darling wasn’t even a prince. Only a Prince Charming of a Charming lineage and a Charming nature could wake up Snow White, and Daring is a Prince Charming. So for Apple to not be woken up by a Prince Charming but instead some ** _girl_** logically meant that Apple was never destined to have a Happily Ever After.

Apple was destined to only have second best.

At everything.

JuSt lIkE A TrUe vIlLaIn.

Textbook really.

The tears came after she had gone to her room and found a note Dexter had asked a servant to leave on her pillow, asking her for her favorite flower, flavor of cake, little details to make Apple enjoy her fairytale and wedding.

It was very sweet of him. If it had come from a servant then Apple would have felt better about it, charmed even, but as it was it could hardly be charming when it came from someone as dorky as Dexter.

Dexter could only pull off sweet well, not charming, not dashing, not anything that counted for a _real_ Prince Charming for Snow White. Sweet was for peasants and lesser stories, for the grandest of all stories nothing less than a textbook Charming could suffice. That was all Dexter was, a prince worthy of a peasant for his courtship of her was not effortless. He had to try and work at it instead of it being instinctual. A fairytale marriage did not have to work on their relationships the same way peasants had to work on theirs, it was supposed to be love at first sight and then an effortless happily ever after.

He wasn’t even handsome!

Raven would have never thought Dexter was a good idea for a prince fit for Snow White. If Raven was still Apple’s villain-

“…”

If Raven was-

If Apple hadn’t-

…It was no use thinking of what ifs.

She was forced to accept that this, her kingdom, was the only mercy she would be allowed after Apple had betrayed her own birthright. She still despised Raven as the witch had left Apple to such a fate, a dark voice Apple did not hardly recognize as her own whispered darkly in the back of her mind nothing but bitter thoughts, but that had been the same voice that had led to Apple doing many terrible things to Raven while they had been in school.

The voice that had awoken the moment Raven began talking revolution.

The voice that grew louder and louder the further Raven pulled away from her duty to making Apple happy until it became an all-consuming void!

…And Apple had acted so very unmaidenly… Snow White would never have been capable of what Apple could do.

 ** _o_** F _T **h**_ E ViLl ** _AiNo_** _Us m_ A **c _Hi_** _N_ a **Ti _O_** _n_ S _d **RiP**_ **pI** n _G lI_ **k** _E p_ **Oi** S _oN_ i ** _N_** _h **E**_ r _m **I**_ n _D._

The voice of Apple’s true nature. The ironic twist to Apple’s true destiny.

**_ViLlAiN._ **

The _VoIcE_ … told her… in the **Black** of the Night… where Apple was AlOnE with nothing but her thoughts… The _VoIcE_ trickled into her consciousness with a buzz like a hornet

But no.

Apple refused to listen.

Raven… for all that Raven had done wrong with her life, with their lives-

_- ~~Apple’s life~~ -_

-for all of it, Raven had been able to turn her back on her villainous birthright as a witch. Raven escaped the cloy of villainy. Raven-

_~~-never knew her place-~~ _

Apple was very, very lucky that she escaped with her reputation and right to the throne intact. That Apple still got to have her story-

_~~-A pathetic imitation of the real thing-~~ _

-was a miracle.

_~~-was agony-~~ _

-because Raven still must believe Apple capable of being a just, kind, and rightful ruler-

_~~-the bitch had taken pity-~~ _

-Raven who was forgiving-

- _ ~~was pathetic in her disgusting misconceptions of love-~~_

- ** _Who_** was getting married in a few weeks or so to some foreign princess or something and Apple would never ever see Raven again because Raven was out of her life for good!

“…”

Apple inhaled deeply. Gaining back control of herself.

Her penance for her crimes would be to live with the consequences she had made for herself. Her duty would be solely to her role as queen. She would do as she had been trained since birth to sit regally on the throne and rule justly.

Apple would fight her destiny. She would become Snow White in name only, keep up appearances, and any child of Faybelle’s or even Faybelle herself would be more than enough to keep any lingering villainy inherited to Apple’s daughter in check.

Perhaps Apple could find a nice, pale brunet prince for her to marry. It was departing from the acceptable blond Prince Charming that the most recent generations of Whites had wedded, but perhaps if more desirable traits were bred back into the bloodline, one or two generations of unconventional coloring would force the stork to take a hint and set destiny back on track. She was already making a list of Charming princes and princesses with such traits to keep an eye on as they bore children as a matter of fact, if desperate times called for it Apple would find a way to snag someone outside of the Charming family.

It was not as if very many would blame her, the Snow White line was the only monarchy that Apple knew of where coloring was integral to the story. Destiny carefully selected those of the right traits to breed into the line, magic, her mother had assured her, there was magic in creating the perfect match.

Magic that had steered her mother wrong. Magic that had tainted her mother’s happy ending and had given her a poisoned apple. Everybody said so hadn’t they? Even after all the hard work Apple put into herself to be _pE_ rFeCt she still didn’t come out _rIg_ Ht.

Maybe… maybe she could recapture her destiny. Be good and become Snow White. Surely if she repented her blood would see her fit for a real Prince Charming to wake her up. Magic was all about intent wasn’t it?

Apple just needed to keep her intent focused.

Apple had a handle on this… she could keep herself in check.

“Hey Apple do you know what time we are supposed to leave for Raven’s wedding?” Asks Dexter as they cross paths in the hallway.

_~~Burn the witch.~~ _

“I won’t be going. I… don’t want to put a target on Raven’s head-“

_Because if I go I might poison them all._

“-by tempting the poisoner. We are so close to our own story it would be far too tempting if the both of us were there I think.”

Yes, she would stay away from Raven. Let Raven go to live her life and Apple would keep her kingdom and her title as Snow White. After all how would have things changed if the original Evil Queen had let the first Snow White go? Why, the Evil Queen would have been able to keep her kingdom that’s what! Snow White was in hiding when everything had gone down, no prince would have known she was anything but a peasant girl!

No one ever needed to know that Raven is Snow White! It was even better than the original story! For Raven is a witch and Apple is a human princess born into a maiden title!

No one would need know.

The day of Raven’s wedding Apple was forced to sit and smile as pretty as a doll as she watched Raven coronate her new queen on the large mirror in the throne room. The wedding was not of the usual fashion- well then again Apple did not know what weddings from Raven’s kingdom even _looked_ like. Apple had not been able to see Raven’s coronation and by the presence of foreigners and their foreign dress it seemed as if they had changed tradition to accommodate for the foreign princess’s homeland traditions.

HOw vErY lIkE _Raven_ tO tUrN hEr bAcK oN tRaDiTiOn aNd dUtY.

_HOw vErY sElFiSh. **Like always.**_

The **_girl_** Raven had crowned queen is… not pretty. She is beautiful, she looks like a goddess from a foreign world, the living definition of regal. In ways that Apple is not because Apple is pretty and she is a fair maiden but this foreign princess… her small smiles are genuine when she looks at Raven, the exchanged knowing looks and closeness of the two are not staged.

Apple would know since she has spent her entire life putting on an act. She had once been the one Raven gave those kind of fond glances to. Apple had once had the opportunity to know what it was like to be genuine with small soft smiles and knowing glances as if exchanging a secret that only the two of them knew.

**_How revolting._ **

It was the bItTeRnEsS talking but Apple firmly stamped down on any feelings of jealously. Her friendship with Raven was over for a reason. More, it was pity she felt for Raven. How very naïve of Raven to think that she could escape destiny without consequence, Apple bet the girl would blend right into the wallpaper. She was so small in size that Apple bet that no one would pay her any attention at all when standing next to Raven. Sure she is lovely but she looked rather reserved, clearly she did not hold a candle to the energy that Raven possessed and would be face with people forgetting about her and she would become so forgotten that she’d likely accidentally wind up being mistaken for a servant or some such.

She wasn’t fairytale royalty after all, sure they all said that didn’t matter, but that is a lie. Of course it mattered. Fairytales were superior and that girl does not know what she signed up for.

Yes, it was not jealousy at all. Merely pItY. Knowing full well that Raven was destined for a boy Prince Charming and yet she would not get one nor her fairytale happily ever after. The girl she had just named her queen was all she was going to get and Apple still got to be Snow White. So ha.

Ha. Ha… ha.

…ha.

“…”

Still… Raven didn’t have to look nearly so cheerful about it.

Apple had to wait what felt like forever before she was allowed the privacy of her own room to properly frown. It was a lonely frown though. She didn’t have anyone to talk to anymore or gossip about how much of a _poser_ that new girl was.

If Apple shed a few tears it was only at the regret that Raven wasn’t born a real Evil Queen. If she had been then things would have ended better for Raven.

See? Apple was thinking charitable thoughts even if Raven was a defective Snow White! Only charitable thoughts and not how Apple was lonely-

Apple would get her story, her throne, and her heir.

Apple would get her throne and the stork would give her a daughter and heir. It would not be easy on the girl, for she would be born at a disadvantage brought on by both parents, but she would marry a prince of the correct coloring and she might inherit Dexter’s hair and Apple’s looks which would bring the child closer to being more of a true coloration.

Or even better if the stork were to bring Apple a son! Certainly if that were to happen the boy would have the same problems that Apple had run into, but Apple would still love him all the same. Plus, if she were to have a son then the fairytale would reset with him saving a new Snow White of the right coloring!

…Perhaps he would marry Raven’s daughter.

A risk given the magic of the witches- ye-no-…

Apple would have to think further on it. It was indeed a bad idea to breed witch magic into such a revered and pure line of the Snow White queens. To taint the blood with such a lowly impure trait would be a scandal!

Yet Raven _is_ Snow White. Raven’s daughter will be Snow White. If Apple does not do something then the story would be lost forever to the White family!

And one day someone important might find out Apple’s horrible secret.

And they might tell all of the realms.

They might tell Apple’s mother.

Would it not be better to recapture the story for Apple’s own family if she were to pair her own heir with Raven’s? It only made sense really.

…Raven would never go for it.

Besides, Apple was more likely to get a daughter, and with a daughter Apple would have to pair her with a prince _beyond_ pE **rF** eC ** _tIon_**. Like even more perfect than Daring! A genuine talent rather than all just for show. In a lot of ways that would be easier than getting anywhere close to one of Raven’s children.

The stork shall decide then. When it came time to receive her heir the gender shall prove where destiny designed to take the situation next. For by not following her destiny Apple would still get her greatest heart’s desire ( ~~minus the prince~~ ): Her story, her kingdom, her child.

That was the core of being a Snow White after all, the prince was more set dressing after the story anyway. All that mattered were those three elements. All that mattered was that Apple would finally, after all of this time and heartache, finally be given what was promised to her since the stork brought her here.

It would all go to plan!

“…”

Except…

It was tradition for each new Snow White to have the nursery for her future child be prepared in her new personal chambers. Every new Snow White was afforded to have new apartments made up in a different wing of the palace, as was _tradition_.

Snow White had been refusing to allow Apple to move out of her mother’s chambers.

Snow White had ordered for the new nursery be placed inside _her_ bedroom, not anywhere near Apple’s.

Dexter was given his own chambers with a nursery so that _he_ could also look after the heir by himself, he was even given a bedroom inside Snow White’s apartments so that he could be close to the heir and yet Apple was not even allowed to have her own adult bedroom as queen! Let alone be allowed to host her own child in either her bedroom or her own apartments!

“It would be pointless to move you out. You will need all the help you can get from your family when you are bestowed with the heir, and if we are so blessed, a spare as well, trust me you will be so busy that you will need all the aid you can get in looking after a child as well as upholding your public duties. With the poisoner out on the loose we mustn’t take chances! Our line must continue, and for that we all need to band together!” Snow White had dismissed in that why she does when she refuses to hear a single word further on the matter.

Seeing as how Apple was the poisoner in question the statement held very little water. How very odd to see things from a perspective where she did not have to live in fear to see just how easily no one questioned some very questionable reasonings.

Apple did not see why she was allowed to keep going on doing public ceremonies yet be unable to be afforded the right to move out of her childhood rooms. The palace was far more secure with the best security systems, and Apple was hardly going to poison herself!

Oh yes there had been plenty of public appearances showing Apple off, Apple was dolled up and shuttled around so much that her mouth ached from forcing a smile on her face all day and well into the evenings, her shoulders seized from the stress of being watched for every second of every day, and her brain screamed from having to endure endless hours of polite small talk but not a single intelligent conversation. To the public Apple was being displayed as queen but as far as ruling went that was still done by her mother.

Apple wasn’t even allowed into her mother’s office to oversee meetings.

It was in these moments of long mind numbing public appearances when Apple slowly began to realize that she did not actually know what her mother did to rule as queen all day. Yes, Apple knew that being queen involved a lot of smiling and attending events, and hosting important ceremonies but that was all elaborate stage play! Not ruling! Lizzie got to rule her kingdom! Ashlynn ruled her’s, even if it was a tiny kingdom, Raven was queen and being given responsibilities as her country’s monarch before she was even-!

“…”

Raven… would have understood. Apple had no one to talk to anymore. No one was safe to confide in! No one to give her sage advice!

Dexter still talked to Raven and the others. They were his allies, they supported him no matter what! when he had a problem he could _go_ to someone to help him with it! _He_ did more than Apple even on an off day! She’s seen him! he was everywhere talking to important people and having conversations that weren’t boring! People looked at Dexter as if he were a leader instead of a doll! When she listened in on their conversations she could only track about half of the conversation at best at any given time:

Trade agreements? She knew nothing about that.

Taxes? She had only heard about that in stories and usually people rebelled against them but according to Dexter they helped to pay for hospitals and roads.

The history of Ever After’s ancient tribal cultures that still exist to this day? That was news to Apple. She never heard of the people. Nor that there were villages filled with witches and monsters in Ever After. Nor that they still gave taxes to the royal family in the form of tributes. She could not even pronounce their villages names they were in a language that Apple had never heard of. She just thought that some lord or another lived in that particular region and that it was just a normal village.

Come to think of it, Apple had never gone of tour with her mother around the country. She only ever stayed in the palace or at one or two other family estates.

Because her mother was ashamed of her blonde hair and her pink skin.

“…”

Apple did not know how to rule her own kingdom.

Raven was taught how to rule even before she was old enough to go to school.

All Apple was ever taught was how _to sit down and look pretty_!

But Apple was more than just a pretty face. She was the new Snow White and she would not stand to be shown up by Dexter of all people!

She used to be friends with a sleuth after all.

She had to schedule meetings with her mother. Everyone did. Even though Apple was technically housed inside of her mother’s apartment chambers her mother more often than not slept in the bedroom put adjoining her offices. It was behind the personal study and smoking rooms where her mother only entertained the most inner of her inner circle in court.

The listening devices were things that Apple already had in her possession, they had been intended to be given as a gift to Blondie as an early graduation present, before things had gone… Apple had intended to give them to Blondie once Raven started acting strange, not when Raven started acting evil, too suspiciously convenient, but once Apple was assured that Raven had eaten her food. The plan had been for Blondie to get suspicious and use Apple’s gift to spy on Raven and then everyone would know that Raven was evil after all!

“…”

She… Apple had told her mother she had gotten Blondie a gift to justify the expense, Snow White was always all for using gifts to boost Apple’s popularity. Of course Blondie was a loyal subject of Ever After ( _she knew what happened to those who weren’t, smart girl_ ) so she was always marked as being an admirer to Apple ( _even though that was now a lie_ ). Snow White assumed Apple had given her “friends” their gifts.

It was for the best that Apple didn’t give anything to anyone really, especially not this gift. They were all self-serving destiny related things that had no heart behind them. Not true gifts but gifts that served Apple’s needs, gifts that silently told them all that they needed to do as she told them and follow their stories. None of the gifts Apple had chosen were things they actually would have liked. Apple was even anticipating the fight she would have had with them over it only for Raven to lose control and change their minds and-…

And what?

Trap Ashlynn in a loveless marriage to some prince she did not know? Sentence Briar to an even worse fate because she would be all alone with no one familiar to comfort her.

Funny how the tables have turned. Now that Apple is faced with her own fate to an unhappily ever after. Karma really. Being all alone with no friends to turn to in a loveless marriage, Apple must have sounded downright stupid to their ears with her preaching when Apple had no place to talk when she already had the perfect looking prince and still having all of her friends, and everything lined up just so and planned out down to the smallest detail.

But Apple was not going to just sit back and let her kingdom nor her child be taken away.

_Though sharing a child with Dexter of all people was still one big ew, thankfully she’d only have to kiss him twice in her whole life and she’s be unconscious for the first one._

**_~~(if she woke up at all)~~ _ **

Apple will learn what was going on, she will learn to sound as intelligent as Dexter on the matters of State and convince people to tell her more. Dexter wasn’t even a quarter as much of a perfect Prince Charming as his brother had been, yet her mother’s court and her people loved him for his precise knowledge on just about everything and the fact that he _listened_ to people. There were more things that people seemed to like about Dexter that baffled Apple but she is smart and she **_will_** **_learn_**.

The hardest part was the arts and crafts part of her scheme. Snow White would of course accept anything Apple gave her mother, but it would be critiqued for any imperfections, and Apple wanted to hide the devices inside something that wouldn’t stand out and would easily be forgotten. Something the maids would dust but not look too closely at because it was boring. But it also had to be sentimental and represent something since Snow white did not believe in useless bric-a-brac lying about for no reason. Image was imperative even down to the slightest detail so everything Snow white ever showed to the world must hold symbolic significance relating back to her role as Snow White. There were even whole magazines devoted to analyzing each and every single reference that she made, it was almost like a game that people liked to play, trying to figure out all of the symbolisms and make sense out of them.

So if Apple wanted to keep the devices in her mother’s office, it had to hold enough significant weight to stay there amongst the permanent collection, and not switched out with each season or holiday like the other stuff.

In the end Apple did what she always ended up doing when faced with an impossible situation: she turned to Raven for help.

There was a special perfume oil that the Queen family made from the apple blooms in the royal family’s orchards. It came in precious ceramic bottles that were each painstakingly hand-crafted and then imbued with charms to prevent them from breaking or spilling should there be a fall. Raven used to give them to Apple every so often as a show of friendship, even if Apple had felt sad that they weren’t poisoned at the time. They had survived Apple’s initial attempt to purge all reminders of Raven and her inappropriate feelings toward Apple because of how wonderful each delicate fragrance was, how beautiful the white ceramic jars were crafted, Apple simply could not part with something that embodied the tempting allure of an evil witch’s magic… even if that was more of a wistful dream given that Raven hadn’t even the good sense to poison them even a little.

Apple transferred what was left of the contents of the jars into other containers, leaving just enough oil inside in order to stuff it with chopped up pieces of diffuser sticks in order for the oil to be properly absorbed and through some clever crafting while staring for hours at minimalist inspirations on the mirrorweb Apple managed to successfully hide the devices in the corks of the bottles, carefully removing any unnecessary screen printed words and only leaving the name of the species of apple flower that the scent is made from. Finishing with hours to spare for her meeting with Snow White.

“What are these?” Her mother had asked when Apple had smiled and acted proud as she presented the queen with her basket.

“Keepsakes for my children once they are grown. Their names will be after my three favorite fragrances from the blossoms of these three different apples. When each turn sixteen they will have their portrait silhouette placed inside this framed ring right here.” Apple pointed to where the Queen family crest used to be inside a little ring of raised ceramic decoration. “I’m asking to put them up around your offices until they are old enough to receive these, the name of my heir will of course be displayed here in the main office so that the child will always have known that her name was always special, the other two I’d like to place in your inner offices because I want it to be more of a surprise that I’ll be asking the stork for three.”

“Three.” The queen had said looking guilty. “From the… stork. Well of course you shall darling, it is your… happily ever after. You shall be getting the life you were always destined for. Little doubt that… your sweet Dexter shall oblige you in your desire for three daughters. He shall make an excellent father.”

“I preserved the scent so that they’ll be able to cherish it when they are grown.” Apple adds, attempting to mentally stomp down on the feeling that she had missed a perfect opportunity to add crushed cyanide into the jars as the queen dutifully opens the bottle for a whiff. “As their grandmother I would like you to have the honor to present these to them.”

“Why thank you darling.” The queen stood up, regal as always in her every action. “Let us put these in places of honor shall we?”

That evening Apple got to work. Taking notes, researching, listening, Apple tackled what was presented to her with a determination that rivalled her schooling days. After so long without any kind of intelligent stimulation Apple welcomed the challenge to finally use her brain for _something_.

Oddly Apple found that her mother didn’t do much all day aside from organizing and acting as a hostess of sorts while everyone else talked about important stuff. Which Apple found strange given that her tutors had gone on and one about how to officiate royal edicts that were becoming to Snow White in her position as queen. Other than edicts relating to Apple’s story or that were about the poisoner still running loose the queen didn’t do very much else that was… very queenly. More like a PR agent and a celebrity making guest appearances but not… ruling anything.

Apple figured that her mother was preoccupied with keeping up Apple’s image as a front while she ruled from behind the scenes. Which was taking up a lot of time and effort, the setting up of the story thing. Apple clearly wasn’t getting a say in anything unless Apple specifically asked Dexter or Dexter asked Apple about what she wanted, even then it was just little details.

Only little details.

Dexter saw more of the queen than Apple herself ever did, Dexter was the one that everyone talked to, from politics to flower arrangements Dexter was always their guy. …And to be _fair_ he did a _fantastic_ job! …Beyond fantastic. He was _good_ at his job!

He even talked to Apple about what was going on in her kingdom, and now that Apple had an in to her mother’s offices Apple was starting to get better at not looking like a complete fool and was able to talk back with him instead of having him explain everything to her. He brought her into conversation with the court and important kingdom leaders, he even, though he had been unaware of it, made it possible for her to spread even more listening devices around the palace and the Court of Lords where they met to speak about making laws. As much as it _chafed_ to admit Apple could not get anywhere in her own kingdom without Dexter being there with his diplomatic skills to open the door for her.

Apple **_hated it_** , because Dexter was better at her job than she was.

But it was still Dexter! He may be the only person lately who seemed to treat Apple like she had a brain at all but he was still… Dexter! He wasn’t even cute let alone charming like a prince should be!

He was… just a regular guy. Someone Apple would have wanted as an assistant, but he didn’t make her feel like she was in love. A prince needed to fit a certain criteria and Dexter wasn’t it! She-…

…She brought this on herself. Karma. She had to remember that this was karma… and that this was because she was not actually Snow White. No, she was the Evil Queen who would be getting Snow White’s fairytale.

Apple… could work with this. An unhappy marriage to Dexter was still worlds better than how it would have been if it were Daring. For even though Daring had seemed so perfect, he would have been a complete bore to have loafing around doing nothing but sitting in a corner and looking pretty. At the very least Dexter was under no illusions that their’s would not be a happy marriage… though it would not be a horrible one. He wasn’t her mother’s pawn, and he was making so that she could actually do her job. The people adored him but in an abstract way for he was not pretty enough to grab their full attention as Apple had with her people. He was kind and he cared about her as a person. Better than what she could have ever hoped to get given her true destiny!

It would all be fine.

Provided he was able to wake her up.

…Was it…

Was it… odd… that the prospect of him being able to wake her up scared her more than not waking up did? Not waking up hadn’t been so bad the first time around! If Apple woke up she would have to deal with… everything…

Was Apple counting on not waking up? She could not honestly say for even she wasn’t completely sure. Though she wasn’t completely adverse to it.

Maybe everyone would be sorry and she’d be given a chance at true love. Maybe Raven would step in and-

…And what?

What would Raven do, after the way Apple had treated her since day one?

Would Raven even care? Or would she be relieved?

Why would Raven want to save Apple after everything Apple had done?

Or maybe Raven would. Because Raven is Snow White, and she is virtuous, so it would only be natural for her to take pity on Apple and use her magic to wake Apple up, and when that happened then apple would-…

She’d be the Evil Queen. Nothing would have changed. Raven was snow white and Apple the Evil Queen.

Destiny was saying so. How could Apple possibly resist the urge to hurt again? When Raven would be there within reach?

Or… maybe it was just… better that she wouldn’t be able to hurt people anymore.

Maybe the only way for her to stop the part of her that found it so easy to hurt others was to make sure that she couldn’t ever fall into temptation ever again!

Maybe… Apple should stop fighting the consequences and allow for whatever was destined to happen just… happen. Only the two options existed: Live a lie and spend the rest of her life fighting her true nature, or for the truth to be revealed and Apple would never have to worry about being evil because she would be forever asleep, forever dreaming.

She had brought this unto herself.

It was time she learned to stop complaining and deal with it head on.

Depression always plagued Apple for her entire life, but this time it seemed even thicker than before, she still worked hard to teach herself all the things about being queen that her mother refused to teach apple herself, but that was more to keep her thoughts outside of her own head. Distractions were what Apple had always done to keep the dark thoughts at bay, the ones that made sleeping impossible and made her feel like hurting others out of spite. It had always been this way, but before Apple had always convinced herself that she was doing good.

She knew better now.

She never had good intentions.

She was an Evil Queen by nature.

But not a well-trained one. The current Evil Queen still eyed Apple like she knew that Apple was a gullible annoyance only good for sitting in corners and looking pretty. Apple was always terrible with villain classes the one semester she took them, she doubted that the witch would have ever been impressed by Apple even if Apple was born into the right family.

The current Evil Queen was also growing frustrated by the lack of clues leading her to the identity of Raven’s poisoner. Whenever possible Apple made certain to make up excuses in order to go back to Apple’s room for a “lie down” whenever the Evil Queen came to visit Snow White. The Evil queen never scheduled anything with Apple’s mother. She was the Evil queen, she did as she wanted.

Rarely, though slowly more often, the woman began asking Apple questions about what she knew. This worried Apple so Apple tried to avoid the woman as much as possible.

But other than the Evil Queen, Apple’s life had hit a steady rhythm, and slowly she began to plan ways to prove to Snow White that Apple was worthy of being allowed into her mother’s office for meetings. Apple had Dexter there to open doors, and Apple was getting better at being an actual ruler, surely things would fall into place if Apple woke up from the story.

 _If_ being the key word.

Perhaps Apple wasn’t optimistic… but she would be queen. There was nothing her mother could do about that.

At least Snow White wasn’t being malicious abou-

 _“You do realize that she will not learn how to rule as a queen if you continue to freeze her out like this.”_ Apple heard the Evil Queen tell her mother one evening as Apple listened in through her headset.

 _“She is not ready for the responsibilities of court yet, she-… she never has been suitable for the court.”_ Snow white speaks matter-of-fact, her voice sharp, cold, downright cruel to Apple’s ears.

Apple’s heart stops.

_“Better for me to still rule from behind the throne in the places where it truly matters than have her fully take on all aspects of the throne. No. She shall be the public face and the one to bear the heirs to our line while I shall remain the one at court in her stead. I shall see to it that my grandchildren are raised under my care, and that the monarchy continues to function without a hitch under my-”_

Apple yanks out her headphones, snapping the wire in the process. Very nearly throwing her phone at the wall but stopping herself by physically restraining one hand with her other hand and rolling up into a ball on her bed facing away from her phone just to be careful not to encourage any lingering temptations. Her heartbeat is all she can hear, the red patterned wallpaper all she can see.

_SheLiedSheLiedSheLiedSheLiedSheLiedSheLied!_

She wants to scream but she does not. Does not dare to make a sound lest the guards come racing in. No, no, no. She had to keep quiet so that she could-

**KiLl ThEm.**

Calm down, surely she had misunderstood-

**BuRn tHeM.**

Nononononono! She was not going to become the Evil Queen! She was going to get Snow White’s story and never be found out ever!

**_But was it such a bad thing if they found out?_ **

Well yes-

 ** _They’d cower, be forced to kneel to her like she was a true queen._** Her reflection in her mirror seems to say.

“An _Evil_ Queen.” Apple argues back under her breath.

 ** _But one who is at least allowed to rule her kingdom as she saw fit._** The Reflection hisses like a furious animal in a cage.

“But-“

 ** _Your happily ever after, your throne, your child! None of it shall be yours if you continue to sit back and do nothing! What is the point if you won’t be given what was always promised to you! All that work and for what?_** **_She promised me my birthright and yet now that I am here, so close to the story taking place and yet it is obvious that I will never be allowed my throne nor the right to raise my own children so what is the point in pretending if everything she ever promised me when I grew up was nothing but a lie?!_**

**_S_ ** _heL **iedS** heLiedS **heLied** SheLie **dSheLied** SheLi **ed!**_

“But I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

**_Do you? Really? Because I seem to be really good at it._ **

“Hurting people is wrong.”

**_Then how else am I supposed to live if being good will only lead me to nowhere?_ **

**_Is this how I want the rest of my life to be?_ **

What little control Apple held over herself dissolved, like sand through her fingers, emptying from her mind as helpless **Wrath** consumed her. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked around her room, only it wasn’t her room now was it? It was her cell. The one place she had any privacy and even then apple had to play a role, to keep quiet and to the shadows in order to prevent herself from getting caught.

The palace her prison. Her mother her jailer.

All of it. Her whole life had been a lie.

There was no throne for Apple to inherit.

Apple wasn’t born with the right coloring, of course she would not be allowed the throne.

Snow W ** _H_** ite was not going to giv ** _E_** up her kingdom. App ** _L_** e was just a **_P_** awn taug ** _H_** t to b ** _E_** the pretty face, the p ** _L_** aceholder. Snow White would live to see Ap ** _P_** le’s daug ** _H_** t ** _E_** r take the throne, for brown hair was better than b ** _L_** onde, brown hair and the **_P_** asty w ** _H_** il ** _E_** fish skin of Dexter with App ** _L_** e’s **_P_** retty looks to balance t ** _H_** ings out. Y ** _E_** s, that made **_L_** ots more sense to Ap ** _P_** le now that s ** _H_** e thought about it. More s ** _E_** nse than marrying Daring. **_L_** ittle wonder he didn’t turn out to be Apple’s **_P_** rince. Destiny **_H_** ad c ** _E_** rtain ** _L_** y **_P_** roven that such a matc ** _H_** would b ** _E_** i ** _L_** l- ** _P_** laced. No, better to **_H_** av ** _E_** a low ** _L_** y dark haired **_P_** rince wit ** _H_** th ** _E L_** ovely fair haired **_P_** rincess to correct horrific past mistakes in breeding. The stork might even, **_H_** op ** _E_** ful ** _L_** y take **_P_** ity and **_SAVE_** them all more trouble by giving Dexter a black haired child that looks like her grand **M** oth **E** r. Ap ** _PLE_** w ** _AS_** n’t p ** _E_** rfect enough. Would never be good enough to appease all of the **_NEED_** ed requirements for the stor ** _Y_** t ** _O_** t ** _U_** rn out. All because she looks like daddy and not Snow White. By being born wrong, destiny had proved that Ap ** _PLE_** w ** _AS_** n ** _E_** ver supposed to be Snow White. No, the only person who fit the role was **_RAVEN!_**

_( ~~Raven isn’t here to make it all better.)~~_

_~~(Raven isn’t here to protect you!)~~ _

_~~(You are all alone.)~~ _

Villains were not destined for Happily Ever Afters.

All of that work.

All Apple had suffered.

All for nothing.

That night she allowed herself to dream of poisons.

Evil did not overtake Apple quickly, there was still a large portion of Apple who was revolted by the mere thought. Still some sand of decency clutched within her grasp. Apple did not like hurting people, even if it did come so easily to her. Easier than being a maiden had been. It was almost like a second nature to destroy all that she touched instead of having to work so hard at maintaining her image as a GoOd gIrL.

Yet as the weeks went by and the more Snow White took back all of the things she had promised to Apple in exchange for Apple being a **_go_** _od li **ttl** e **gir** l_ the part of Apple who resolved to stay good just sort of… half-gave up.

Over time, the nice voice in her head that always pointed her towards trying to do the right thing and go back to being a maiden grew quieter and quieter. Never forgotten but replaced by a different sort of way of looking at things. A curiosity awoke through the bitterness as Apple continued to balance undecided on the tightrope between villainy and going through with being Snow White.

It had started out as nothing more than an experiment to see if anybody noticed a change the more Apple secretly studied evil texts and forbidden knowledges. If perhaps, by some chance, Apple’s evil streak was indeed a new development, something that was not part of her past nature and breeding and therefore could be fought. If it was not truly part of who she was then she could still go through with her fairytale and be a Snow White. If Apple were truly destined to become Snow White then this unsettling new trend to Apple’s life could be stopped.

Surely someone would notice. To comment or at least look at her oddly as she went about her day! For if Apple truly was not acting like herself then those around her would react.

Raven had known. Raven had sensed it in Apple and that was why Raven had become so cautious around Apple before Apple poisoned her. If Raven sensed it first then surely others would follow.

…Someone… anyone…

…Any time now…

No.

No one knew Apple as well as Raven had.

On the good days Apple could commit to becoming Snow White, on the good days Apple held close onto the person she could be, the person who Raven had… _fa **llen f** or_-

It was the bad days that made Apple uncertain.

What if she really wasn’t Snow White and she would be stuck with Dexter forever?

What if she never woke up from slumber?

_W **ha** t if S **no** w W **hit** e never inte **nde** d upon g **iving** up the **thr** one witho **ut a** **fi** ght?_

_“What… if…”_

Fantasies of villainy overtook her dreams, soon spilling out into the real world as Apple, mostly out of morbid curiosity, began looking into… how to… if one were to do so… taking over the entire country from the inside out.

Just curious.

Curious to see if anyone would make a comment or make note of Apple doing anything. It wasn’t even a fully conscious thing really, apple just did it in her spare time! …Or so she told herself.

In reality Apple felt… disconnected with her body at the best of times these days. Everything she did from acting as princess to acting on the things she schemed in the dark were all… abstract. Almost unreal.

She wasn’t paralyzed by depression though. Only angry, and numb, but mostly angry.

In fact she hadn’t felt this alive since she had been in school!

She told herself that she could stop at any time. Told herself that she would be thwarted so there was no need to commit to anything. Apple told herself lots of things but she still did them.

And no one stopped her.

The closer it got to her impending story the more… scared she became.

Turns out Apple actually didn’t want to risk never waking up! Not waking up for a very long time was scary!

Briar was right, she really did not understand what it would be like, at least not until now, when the prospect was looming over her come this time next week!

Terror prompted Apple to act rather than do nothing. Apple knew that she should stop, sit down and really think things through, but…

In the end it hurt too much. This was her family, and Snow White lied to her.

It all felt so rushed, as if Apple wasn’t being given enough time to think for a reason.

Apple almost didn’t do it.

She had clung to her bedpost imagining great big chains keeping her where she was. A big part of her wanted to go out and disable all of the fire alarms and steal more books on forbidden magic from the archives but she would not. She would listen in on her mother’s meetings and she would likely wake up because it was her destiny to have an unhappy ending and really, what kind of ending would it be if she didn’t face the consequences for her actions?

Haha.

So silly of her to be worried.

Besides, if Faybelle was the one poisoning her she’d definitely would make sure Apple woke up. Apple had even taunted her over it, saying that Faybelle was likely to mess everything up anyway and poison Apple for real instead of as she was supposed to. The fairy would do everything in her power now to make sure Apple would wake up.

Apple would be fine!

Just fine.

…She just had to distract herself until the-

“What’s all this Snowball? Isn’t little Appleseed a bit too grown up for all of this kiddie junk you have going on back here.” The Evil Queen’s voice comes through Apple’s earbuds.

“I am arranging for these rooms here in my private offices be converted into a nursery and schoolroom.” Snow white huffs, matter of fact.

The Evil Queen balks. “For who? Half of Ever After’s fairytale population?”

“My grandchildren if you must know. I shall be taking over their care and education from their-”

Apple doesn’t accidentally destroy her earbuds this time when she yanks them out, instead the pulling apart of the wire and rubber over and over again until there is nothing left but a mess is a slow, deliberate, act of aggression.

It was either that or to scream.

“…Well hex.” Apple breathes out shakily hours later after just sitting there at the end of her bed and staring out her window into the early morning hours of the night. “Guess destiny has spoken.”

**nO gOiNg bAcK.**

Looking back Apple really should have collapsed from exhaustion or have been found out. But no, she got out of bed in her pajamas, walked the empty halls of the palace in her slippers and nightgown and no one stopped her, no one questioned her, Apple had the codes for all of the locks!

It was… so easy. So, so very easy, Apple had been dreaming of this for months, down to the finest, most tiniest of details, and all she had to do was walk around and open locked doors and put poisons into everything she touched.

She hesitates when her hand rests upon the door to Dexter’s room though.

He may not be her true love, or much of a prince at all, but he had been kind to her. Treated her better than anyone else in this forsaken glittery hell. For that she supposes that he should be spared. So she slips the sharpened poisoned comb back into its pouch and leaves him to sleep in peace.

Then she slips back into her own room, and goes to bed. For the first time since forever she sleeps in. Feeling… oddly more free than she ever has in her entire life.

And they let her.

Later she would sit and have brunch with Snow white and the Evil Queen as the witch briefed the royal family on the security measures being planned out for the Snow White story, stressing that it was ill-advised with the poisoner still on the loose but the Grimm Brothers and Raven herself were pushing to get Apple’s story over with as fast as possible so there was nothing to be done but hope beyond hope that the security team was more clever and Apple had never been at risk to begin with.

Apple would smile in sympathy and spike the Evil queen’s pomegranate juice with something that should inhibit her magic for a while. Maybe make her sick enough to go home. Then she would complete her preparations and spend the rest of her time waiting patiently.

There would be a banquet the next evening, not grand, but grand enough seeing as how it would be amongst the royal family and the court. The last banquet of the old Snow White before the new would be ushered in.

Due to her arrogance in her own security the wine taken from Snow White’s personal stores would not be checked for poisons, her parents and the court would drink, and the poison would take an hour or two, give-or-take before the first would begin to feel the slight cramping, and wooziness beginnings of the poison taking hold. Impairing their judgement as well as their reaction time to the growing alarm of the servants as Apple sets it all of fire.

The fire starters themselves are not particularly clever for someone with experience in low-level technology and magical charms. Merely two wires fixed just so in order to create a live arch of electric current, small enough to be placed unnoticed here… there…

Everywhere there was something flammable and in a location the maids weren’t likely to get to right away.

There were also magical spells of course to prevent fires in and around the palace.

Plenty of spells that Apple had methodically dismantled over the past several months, security systems she had the codes for and the technical know-how to disable, she knew the locations of everyone’s schedules and the placement of every single guard and duty rotation. She even had known the secret places to hide out of sight should someone make the rare break in routine.

About forty-five or so minutes in the queen began to look a bit off, so Apple had reached into her pocket and pressed a button for the remote controller that would turn the fire starters on. Another button that would electronically initiate lockdown protocols for most of the palace, trapping any security reinforcements from getting in the throne room, or from escaping to the other parts of the castle- essentially turning the security systems meant to protect them against them. Then she quickly flicked a tiny flat switch that would jam all of the guard’s radio frequencies while-

…What? She may have been a princess at the time but she _had_ skills okay? She had been thinking about this off and on for a while and she had both the time and the means to get it done. She wasn’t class valedictorian for nothing!

She almost startled out of her skin when Dexter had placed a hand on her shoulder, but he was just letting her know that he’d be right back in about a minute, and she smiled, just as she always had been doing for most of her life.

He did hesitate though, asked if she was okay, but she had said that she hadn’t been getting much sleep lately and she was just fine, but would likely leave early in a few minutes.

So Dexter had left for the restroom and Apple watched as everyone who had drunk the wine slowly began to enter the first stages of the poison taking hold. Not everyone had partook of the wine, Apple and Dexter were far too young, others preferred other drinks or were banned from it by their wives. The ones who had not had the wine were beginning to poke fun at the ones who did for not being able to hold their liquor, others were beginning to get a bit worried.

And Apple watched as Snow White and her husband grew sleepier, and sleepier, Their breathing growing labored as their throats began to close up, not even noticing the faint scent of smoke beginning to grow stronger.

“I’m going to go now your highness.” Apple had whispered to Snow White, who had tried to say something but it came out in a choked garble, clutching her throat.

“GoOdByE.”

And left. Snow White had tried to make a grab for her but Apple slipped away without looking back.

Apple made it halfway down the hall before somebody ran out to grab a guard because they smelled smoke coming from the service hall leading down to the kitchens and the door would not open, and it was hot to the touch. Apple idly eyed the security control panel but decided against trying anything further and instead keyed in the code to open a hidden side door that would lead her down a service hallway, past the bathrooms, to another hidden door that led to a stairwell that would then lead outside where Apple had planned to bar it shut and take the long way to the carriage house and run away into the night. Where she would be free and clear to regroup somewhere and begin planning her next steps.

A new life with a new name?

Take over the kingdom and finish what she had started with Raven? Or take over the kingdom and become the next Snow White uncontested?

Drive off a cliff in despair? Apple did not honestly know in that moment. All that mattered was getting away without rousing suspicion. For who would possibly believe that she had been behind all of this? …Aside from Raven and a few others, but nobody else would believe _them_.

Princess Apple White was the fairest of them all after all.

…Aaand then the Evil Queen chose that moment to go against her destiny’s nature in favor of playing hero and burst through the large windows on the sixth story floor of the palace accompanied by a horde of White family palace guards flying in with her on clouds of purple magic.

_A **w H** eX **.**_

Apple had leapt behind a curtain thinking that she was surely sunk and that everything would unravel and there would be no esca-

oH, bUt wHaT wAs tHiS?

Apple had been to startled at first but even her fearful mind could not miss the way the **Evil Queen** had **_fallen_** to her **_kNeEs_** and required the assistance of two people, a royal guard, and Faybelle to haul her back onto her feet and help her to walk forward into the banquet hall!

“Snowball? _Snowball!”_

And how ** _frightened_** the **_mighty witch_** had sounded for her **_princess_**! How _hEaRtBrOkEn_! How desperate to know if **Snow White** was still _alive_ or nOt! Her pedigree shining through as instinct took over and her natural state was to of course ** _serve_** her betters! The one to which she had been born to serve and make happy through their fairytale destiny!

And Apple had bRoKeN her. The most powerful witch to ever exist, out foxed by the new Evil Queen, who had naught a scrap of magic within her.

It was beautiful really. In a tragic kind of way.

Such a shame that Apple knew the codes to shut the room they were all in down, that the security system came with such a strong magical dampening shield that was designed to prevent magical attacks from breaking through. Such a shame to lock them all in as the screaming began and the guards began rushing in to deal with the fire, while people were trying to escape only to find the doors locked with the passcodes to get out having been changed, the fire really beginning to pick up, and everyone realizing that the sprinkler system was conveniently offline.

No, really, it was a shame! Apple even began to weep as she heard Faybelle screech, an inhuman sound that rattled Apple to the bone, and batter the doors with her magic only for it to have no effect.

But there could not be two Evil Queens. That was a fact. She would object to anyone having such an honor.

Apple could not allow anyone to get in her way.

LeAsT oF aLl pOiSoN hEr aS iF sHe wErE **Snow White**.

Apple really, _really, **really**_ did not feel like being poisoned any time soon or by anyone at all. It was _fine_ if Raven was the one going to do it, because it was _different_ with Raven! With Raven Apple had felt safe and was really into the idea of being at Raven’s complete and total mercy, because **_she trusted Raven_**!

And they wanted her to be okay with _Faybelle_?

No!

Just no!

Grabbing Dexter as she had made her escape had also been a last minute decision. He had excused himself to go use the restroom so he was still unaware of Apple’s involvement, and when Apple had run across him he had very nearly destroyed everything because the fool had chosen now of all times to bring out his Hero side (a side Apple could have _sworn_ the boy had never possessed before this moment) along with his Geek side and he had fused them together in order to begin hacking into the security grid like a man _possessed_! And he was letting people _out_! And _hexing organizing the survivors,_ who could still run very decently, to _evacuate the palace_ and begin _setting up relief stations_ at the palace front gates, and for those with phones to start _racing out until they could get a signal and call for help_!

At that point Apple just had to smack her palm to her face, because, **_really_**? **_Now_** ** _he chooses to be competent as a Prince Charming in an emergency situation?_** When they were in school he had cowered behind Raven and left her to do all of the heavy lifting whenever trouble struck!

Apple could have very easily just left him to it and quietly slipped away. She still had administrative control over the golem guarding forces, she could easily cover her tracks and bring an armed guard with her that did not have the ability to think to boot.

But then he saw her and yelled for her to hold the door open because he was going to run back up and make sure everyone was getting out.

She could have left him to it. Let him live or die, however the fates fell for him.

**_Or he might actually manage to save everyone._ **

“Everyone has been evacuated.” Apple heard herself speak in a calm authoritative voice. “Snow White and the king have made their escape and so must we.”

“But-“

“We are the targets Dexter. If we die then the royal line will die with us let’s go!”

Apple hadn’t even waited for him to reply. She just snapped her fingers and one of the golems picked Dexter up and carried him off after her. His muffled protests could be heard all the way to the carriage house.

Nobody stopped her. If it had been anybody but her they very well would have stopped her and saved Dexter. But she wasn’t anybody else, she was the princess, now turned queen of Ever After.

**_The new Evil Queen._ **

XXX

_Mirror, mirror…_

_Is it you who defines my worth, or is it the monster I see in my reflection?_

_What is the cause of this unhappiness?_

_What people say I must be, or who I have become to keep the monster locked up within?_

_Who is the biggest villain?_

_The monster within, or the mask I wear on the outside?_

_Mirror, mirror, oh reflection of myself tell me how I am to define my own existence._

**_Destroy them all._** Sayeth the reflection. **_They have taken everything and left naught but a pretty faced husk shell. Howl into the darkness, snarl as you dig your talons into the stone walls they have built around you and claw your way up. Let them see the creature you have turned into. Let them learn to fear you. For it is they who have turned you into this._**

**_Let them suffer as you have suffered._ **

XXX

“You do realize that she will not learn how to rule as a queen if you continue to freeze her out like this.” The Evil Queen had spoken to her former princess, arms crossed, leaning against the side of the doorway to the other woman’s inner office.

“She is not ready for the responsibilities of court yet, she-… she never has been suitable for the court.” Snow white speaks matter-of-fact, her voice sharp but her face is terrified. “Better for me to still rule from behind the throne in the places where it truly matters than have her fully take on all aspects of the throne. No. She shall be the public face and the one to bear the heirs to our line while I shall remain the one at court in her stead. I shall see to it that my grandchildren are raised under my care, and that the monarchy continues to function without a hitch under my rule.”

The Evil Queen heaves a long, annoyed sigh, rolling her face up towards the ceiling and rubbing the bridge of her nose with two manicured fingers for a long moment of silence before facing her former princess.

“Snowy, Ancestors forbid that I should tell you how to raise your own kid-”

“I have to protect her Clawstorm! When she was a small child the court very nearly voted to replace her with a distant cousin all because she has blonde hair! Presentation is everything when the monarchy exists solely as an ornament rather than a true ruling force! If not for presentation we’d be reduced to living off of handouts from princes who marry our princesses like the Beauty family, or worse! Be like the Ella’s, reduced to little more than business tycoons to survive, living in country estate palaces and hosting tea to creatures who live in the woods! How pathetic!”

The Evil Queen raises a brow. “Those monarchies had to adapt with the changing times, but they are no less of a monarchy now even though they serve different roles than before. They still retain the core of their valued use as the protectors of their ancestral lands with those tea parties being very important meetings between the ancient powers of their own lands and the humans who live there, they are still the representatives their governments send out to maintain peace amongst the other monarchs, they are still _needed_ Snowball. They are not suffering.”

“The same cannot be said for Ever After Clawstorm.” The queen’s lip trembles. “We are not like the witches or the fairies with their rituals and ceremonies with the lands to keep them relevant. The original Prince Charming at the start of our lineage had made an ancient edict that only the sons of his sons can inherit the throne. The original Snow White had come from a matrilineal inherited kingdom before she was forced to leave it for that of her husband’s, she had been blessed as a babe to only carry girls to term. We are only where we are now because of the fairytale. Our government keeps the monarchy in line because they have never nullified the edict, when the White family had still held full control over our government we had not known, and by the time we had been informed it was too late. The Court of Lords in Parliament had taken over! We are only still ruling because of how we maintain appearances to make the country look good. We do not hold legitimacy without sons, but if we do remove the ancient blessing and begin bearing sons the government will kick us out for not adhering to the fairytale and plant their own choice of a new monarch line instead!”

“Snowball, you have been queen for ages now, do you still not have the authority to, if not dismiss, than at least punch any fool who threatens _your_ daughter in the face? Yeah, the government may _say_ they have control, but you are obnoxiously popular. Why not plead to your people and the other kingdoms for help and boot out the entire court?” The witch asks in complete bafflement. “Even better, why not ask me to turn them all into weasels? Problem will be solved in no time once you remind them that my family has an _invested_ interest in you guys staying right where you are.”

“Maidens solve these things peacefully Clawstorm.” Snow White tells the witch in a small voice filled with despair.

“Making me angry enough to summon up giant curses over all of the realms was not peaceful Snowball.”

“But it worked! They were going to take Apple away from me and replace her with some politician’s brat who is also the daughter of a distant cousin! Not after you came in and began throwing your power about!”

“And that was a one-trick pony Snowball, with my daughter on the throne and as a member of the Wonderland queen’s court, _and_ with my daughter having formed an inter-kingdom court of alliances I myself do not have the resources nor the freedom to pull of that kind of stunt again. I may look like I am able to strut about as I please but my little blackbird has me on a very short leash.” The witch scolds.

“If only Raven had not turned away from destiny.” Snow White bemoans, her face falling into her hands. “If only you had never fallen in love with that man.”

“Yes, well you were the one to break up with me and all I did was respect your decision and moved on. Besides, it is our own fault for pushing my little blackbird into that direction isn’t it?” The witch muses. “In the process of protecting you we made her life so unbearable that she chose to turn away. I had not… realized how much it would have hurt her. I had thought I had provided her with respect but instead… It won’t work again Snowball. It isn’t just the two of us anymore, as much as we both may chafe at the idea our actions will hurt our families if we are not more careful.”

“You never cared about holding back before.”

“Yeah. Well things change when you realize that it might have been because of you trying to curse everything that your only daughter gets near fatally poisoned by possibly one of her own classmates. Also, you never visited me, even though you promised.”

“I was busy trying to keep my court at bay.” Snow White frowns. “I still have enough power to make sure the culprit suffers horribly for the audacity of their crime.”

“Provided I can manage to get someone to tell me who the little worm is!” Clawstorm hisses. “All I know is that it was a maiden, and for some reason Raven is taking pity on her! A lot of people in Raven’s inner circle seem to know who it was, and even the headmasters of the school know who it was, but… they all refuse to talk to me! All I get out of any of them is that Raven becoming king and marrying Ling is equal to a punishment worse than death to this two-bit poison happy psychopath and that if I try to exact revenge I’ll only make this bitch happy! I mean who would be happy to have a furious Evil Queen go after them for the crime of touching my daughter? I have vowed to envelop them within the full might of my magic until they are rendered insane from exposure yet that Beauty girl says that it is a waste of time seeing as how whomever this is has a fetish for being at the mercy of villains! It makes no sense!”

“Sounds like they’re a right freak you are dealing with.” Snow White grumbles unhappily. “Do you think Apple knows something?”

“If she does she doesn’t seem to be wanting to believe a maiden could have been responsible. That seems to be the source of why she broke things off with her old friends, or something to that effect. I’ll keep shadowing her until it seems like she’s broken down to a point to where she wants to talk. Something is clearly eating away at her.”

“Really? She seems to be fairly normal under the circumstances.” Snow White furrows her brows, trying to recall if Apple had acted an inch off recently.

“Trust me Snowball, she is all smiles when she should be a basket case of tears and a little ball of worry. She’s repressing, the same way you do until you get stomach upset and you have to take a lie-down. I know my maidens, she’ll crack sooner rather than later at the rate she’s going trying to act like nothing is wrong.”

XXX

“What’s all this Snowball? Isn’t little Appleseed a bit too grown up for all of this kiddie junk you have going on back here.” The Evil Queen asks as she watches her former princess bustle about, arranging miniature furniture by hand instead of utilizing a servant.

“I am arranging for these rooms here in my private offices be converted into a nursery and schoolroom. For the same purposes that I had told you before.”

Clawstorm blinks. “For who? Half of Ever After’s fairytale population?” Not that there were very many in Ever After to begin with, though the school was in the country most were still back in the good old homeland kingdom now ruled over by Raven.

Three tiny little desks and three sets of toys each… sounded about right. Goldie Lockes, Humpty Dumpty, and Appleseed’s brat all lined up in a row.

“My grandchildren if you must know. Apple is determined to have at least three. I shall be taking over much of their care and education from their nurses now that I will have more time to spend with them. Apple will be taking over most of my old duties now that she and Dexter have managed to secure their position with the Court of Lords. They are downright adored you know, the perfect pairing! Raven has an excellent eye in princes I must say.”

“She’s not in love with him. Nor he her.”

“…I know, but they work well together. That is the best happy ending that can be hoped for given our position.”

“She was expecting something a little bit more genuine Snowy.”

“I know, I blame her tutors for putting unrealistic expectations into her head. True Love for royalty is not the same for peasants.”

“Shouldn’t this be in Apple’s new chambers or something?”

“The new queen will be far too busy recuperating from the aftermath of bearing more than one heir on top of keeping up in her role as Snow White. It was difficult enough for me to raise just one without help from my mother-…”

When the beautiful lady had enough with the court and her cheating husband and died of a “broken heart”.

“It wasn’t your fault what happened Snowy.” Clawstorm says softly.

Snow White shakes herself. “Apple needs to remain strong if she is to survive what is to come. With hope my grandchildren shall never know the hardships of the past three generations.”

“I’m surprised she’s committed to having three little sprogs. Given that she’s clearly not keen on being all romantic with the boy.

She thinks that the stork will bring her the children.”

At this Clawstorm’s brain feels as if it has tripped over itself.

“…wat?”

“I never had The Talk with her. I’ve been putting it off until her wedding night.”

Horror grips the witch at the implications.

“ _SNOWFLAKE WHITE!_ ”

“That isn’t my name anymore.” The human insists in a stern, yet shaky tone.

“ _The stork?_ You told her that a _bird_ brings the infants?”

“Not quite… I said that there is a special secret ritual that the king and queen do to make the queen pregnant by the stork.”

“…”

“I know what you are going to say-“

“Bestiality.”

“I didn’t want to risk her getting curious like I had when I was in school!”

“So your answer was bestiality?”

“Magic ritual. It is amazing how much you can avoid having to explain embarrassing things when you can just say that magic makes it so.”

“Not if they have an education _in_ magical theory _genius_!”

“Dexter was far more polite when I told him about this.”

“Well what did Dexter have to say about the prospect of his bride coming to their marriage bed confused and terrified out of her mind? Does she even know what a dick looks like?”

“He proposed artificial insemination! He swore that he would not lay a finger upon her if she did not desire him and that he would be the one to explain the artificial insemination process to her should she be repulsed by the idea of… well… sex.”

Waitaminit.

“He wasn’t into the idea of her being a blushing trembling clueless virgin?” Clawstorm asks, a little more calm now.

“No, in actuality he seemed quite worried for her wellbeing and comfort.”

“Really?”

“Truly.”

“…Godsdamn he’s an actual fucking catch for such a nerdy little thing!”

“He truly is of sound stock. A solid choice for king.”

“Huh. Maybe this’ll work out for the both of them after all.”

XXX

The grand throne room is silent as Apple slips in through one of the massive intricately carved white doors gilded with gold. The morning light coming in from the large floor to ceiling pained windows make the white marbled floors and support columns seem to glow, contrasting with the recently installed dark red carpet and drapes.

She is wearing apple red, as she has done her entire life, except the style of her long sleeved dress is different. Slim and more form fitting, designed to make her look intimidating, a cut that resembles the former Evil Queen’s dress with the addition of a blood red aegis designed to appear as if she had spikey, large shoulders so that she could appear regal without needing to put strain on her neck to keep her back upright all the time. The equally ornate bloodred corset also helped in keeping her silhouette just so without her needing to actually put much muscular effort in maintaining posture. In fact, she could and did slouch while wearing it, but the way the garment was designed it not only held her upright but it also hid the fact that she was secretly slouching.

She wore an ornate red and gold mask in a horned demonic style that doubled as a pair of spectacles. For once she did not have to force a smile, nor did she have to school her expressions nearly so much with everything but her red painted lips being covered up.

She didn’t ever have to smile when she did not feel like it ever again.

It felt ironic that such a thing could be so freeing.

For the first time in her life she did not wear hair curlers to bed in order to appear more girlish with voluptuous curls, her long hair was now free to fall naturally straight down her back, free of any pins, sprays, or extensions that usually held it in place. The only exception being the hair combs that held her black spiked crown in place.

It was surprisingly painful to go from wearing heels to soft silk slippers, the tendons in her feet and legs so accustomed to standing up on tippy toes that suddenly going without made everything a little sore, but it was easier to walk around in a silent glide through her stronghold this way. The click of heels on the floor reminded her far too much of how she dreamed of Raven walking toward her in her own spiked black heels as Apple lay helpless on the floor, how Raven would pick Apple’s unconscious body up and hold her, make everything better-

Apple shook herself and spared a glance to the giant gilded cage off to the side of her throne. From inside the glittering metal bars her new husband very pointedly sat on his cushion with his back turned towards her, glaring at the far wall as he shunned her very existence.

Fair enough, given the circumstances.

Apple continues her trek forward, slipping into a room hidden behind her throne. In here it is a bit more thematically appropriate for an evil Queen, for it is windowless and the darkness only broken up by a few lamps here and there. The velvety drapery that hangs from the columns and rows of bookshelves along the walls serve as a means to keep in the warmth as well as to muffle sound, she has the privacy to slip off her mask and quietly fiddle away with her various projects.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall. Where is Raven? The fairest of them all?”

It had taken her far too long to work out how to scry using enchanted mirrors. She had initially tried to hack into their phones but they had long since abandoned their old ones, leaving Apple no choice but to do things the hard way.

Even so it is hardly enough.

The large mirror’s surface shimmers, clouding up before clearing to reveal a mostly blurry vision of Raven, the more Apple tries to focus the view the more that some colors go off or the image distorts further. They look like they are somewhere by Briar’s father’s kingdom, Raven, the _girl_ she had married… hanging off of Raven’s arm like a lamprey- a leech, ex-best friends, …Some strangers that do not matter…

Just when she finally manages a decent, albeit green tinted image, suddenly Raven’s head, and the heads of the other strange faces, and Faybelle’s snaps upward.

Staring. As one.

Right back at her.

Their eyes glowed, not all of them, just the ones looking up, and with different eye colors, aside from one lady they glowed in colors that were not tinted green.

Apple did not know what was going on but she sensed that this was probably not a good sign. Also she may have figured out a way of telling if someone had magic or not, but that was the least of her concerns.

Raven’s magic comes out its usual brilliant violet as she flares up, and in a literal flash that has Apple nearly jumping out of her skin the witch sends a huge ball of light crashing into the mirror’s view.

As the violet cloud of magic dispersed from the mirror’s surface it cleared back into a reflection of Apple’s vestige, the Newly Minted Evil Queen heaves a frustrated sigh.

“She’s not going to make this at all easy for me.” Apple despairs. “How am I supposed to fulfill our destiny if the Snow White character has magic and the Evil Queen doesn’t?”


End file.
